The countdown for the final round of the CEV Snow Volley European Tour is almost complete. Prato Nevoso, Italy, is preparing to welcome athletes for the event scheduled this weekend, March 30th-31st.
Twenty-six teams from 10 different countries will participate. Men`s and Women`s pool and elimination rounds will take place on Saturday, while the crucial final stages, including the finals and the awards ceremony, are planned for Sunday afternoon. The Snow Volley Festival activities are set to continue into Easter Monday.
Eighteen teams are registered for the men`s competition. Twelve are Italian, with the other six arriving from Switzerland, Türkiye, France, Poland, Belgium, and Uruguay (participating via a wild card).
The French team features Adrien Pédèches and Iskander El-Ghouti, who previously won the European Tour round-2 in Erzurum, Türkiye, alongside Daniel Petrov. For this event, Pédèches and El-Ghouti will team up with Julien Saint-Vanne and Nicolas Salmon. Poland`s Piotr Groszek, Michal Matyja, and Mikolaj Kaczmarek will be aiming for revenge after their defeat to France in the Turkish final. Karole Szczepanik completes the Polish quartet.
Leading contenders will need to watch out for the Italian trio of Massimo Di Risio, Federico Geromin, and Matteo Camozzi. They were victorious in the inaugural round of the season in Bakuriani, Georgia, in early March, where they overcame the Polish team (Matyja, Ciemachowski, Janiak, Groszek).
Significant expectations are also placed on Alessandro Carucci and the Pizzileo brothers (Filippo, Tommaso, Edoardo), as well as Michele Bennato, Matteo Carlon, Enrico Lupatelli, and Gaetano Vespero. Local heroes Thomas Berger, Michael Burgmann, and Peter Seeber, who were crowned Italian snow volleyball champions here in Prato Nevoso last year, will also be strong competitors.
Eight teams have entered the women`s draw: two from Hungary, and one each from Türkiye, Czech Republic, and Austria, plus three Italian teams. Italian champions Sofia Arcaini, Sara Breidenbach, and Anna Dalmazzo are expected to be the main rivals to the Turkish team consisting of Erve Celebi, Zeynep Dila, Nursel Yaren Sencel, and Simge Yalcin. This Turkish quartet won both the Bakuriani round in Georgia (defeating compatriots Simdim, Sayar, Yuceturk, Civan) and their home event in Erzurum (against Romania`s Hododi, Miu, Bradatan, Shahzada).
In total, over 250 individuals, including athletes, referees, and staff, are anticipated to be in Prato Nevoso for both the tournament and the accompanying Snow Volley Festival.
