International competitions at various levels in volleyball and beach volleyball awarded medals across the globe last week: the women’s volleyball Pan American Cup, the men’s volleyball AFECAVOL Central American Championship, the women’s Southeast Asian Volleyball League, the SCA Beach Volleyball Zonal Championships for women and for men, the EEVZA U16 and U18 Beach Volleyball Championships for girls and for boys, as well as the beach volleyball tournaments at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Many FIVB Volleyball Empowerment beneficiaries successfully made their way to the podiums.
Pan American Cup - women’s volleyball
The women’s national team of Argentina won the Pan American Cup for the first time in history. In Sunday’s final of the event held in Ponce, they managed a 3-2 (25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 19-25, 15-6) victory over hosts Puerto Rico. The Argentinean women’s team has so far been allocated a total of CHF 136,000 of coach support through Volleyball Empowerment.
The competition’s most decorated team, the United States, completed the podium at the 10-team tournament after producing a 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 27-25) win over the Dominican Republic, the winners of the previous two editions. Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Canada, Chile and Costa Rica lined up in the places from fifth to tenth in the final standings.
Argentina’s opposite Bianca Cugno (pictured in the main photo; credits: norceca.net) was honoured as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Pan American Cup. She was also awarded as the Best Scorer and the Best Server of the tournament, as well as with a spot on the competition’s Dream Team, which also included setter Ivonne Martínez (Mexico), outside hitters Simone Lee (USA) and Ana Karina Olaya (Colombia), middle blockers Geraldine Gonzalez (Dominican Republic) and Jocelyn Urias (Mexico), and libero Joseline Landeros (Mexico). The latter also took the award for Best Defender, while Peru’s Ysabella Sanchez was recognised as Best Receiver.
AFECAVOL Central American Senior Championship - men’s volleyball
Under the guidance of coach Andrea Genova, funded by Volleyball Empowerment, El Salvador celebrated the silver medals at the men’s Association of Central American Volleyball Federations (AFECAVOL) Central American Senior Championship. El Salvador has so far received CHF 36,000 from the FIVB for its men’s volleyball national team.
Guatemala topped the final standings in the seven-team round-robin tournament held in Belize City. They won five of their six matches. El Salvador finished second on a 4-2 win-loss record, while hosts Belize completed the podium on 3-3 and 14 points, one clear of fourth-placed Nicaragua (3-3). Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica, in that order, followed down the final table on 2-4 each.
Guatemala’s Carlos Lopez was named MVP and Dream Team outside hitter. The ideal seven of the tournament also included setter Astergio Diaz (Panama), opposite Karym Coleman (Belize), outside hitter Ernest Broaster (Belize), middle blockers Emilio Andrews (Nicaragua) and Manuel Platero (El Salvador), and libero Miguel Medina (Panama), who was also named Best Digger. Belize’s Raheem Flowers was recognised as the Best Receiver, while Guatemala’s Andy Bianco was awarded as the Best Server. Two players, Andy Bianco and El Salvador’s Rodrigo Chavez, shared the Best Scorer honours.
Southeast Asian Volleyball League - women’s volleyball
The second leg of the inaugural Southeast Asian Women’s Volleyball League took place in Chiang Mai. Just like in the first leg held in Vietnam the previous week, Thailand topped the podium undefeated in all three of their matches of the four-team round-robin event, followed by Vietnam on a 2-1 win-loss record, Indonesia on 1-2 and the Philippines on 0-3.
After achieving three-point victories over their opponents on the first two competition days, Thailand and Vietnam went head to head in the last game on the programme, the de facto final of the tournament, with the Thais celebrating a 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-22) victory. Silver medallists Vietnam are supported by Volleyball Empowerment through the 2023 Knowledge Transfer programme by hiring a physiotherapist to work with the team.
Thai star Chatchu-On Moksri was named MVP of the event, while setter Arneta Putri Amelian (Indonesia), opposite Alyssa Solomon (Philippines), outside hitters Vi Thi Nhu Quynh (Vietnam) and Ratri Wulandari (Indonesia), middle blockers Jarasporn Bundasak (Thailand) and Doan Thi Xuan (Vietnam), and libero Piyanut Pannoy were recognised on the Dream Team.
Full house in Chiang Mai for the Thailand v Vietnam decider (Photo credits: seavleague.com)
SCA Zonal Championships - women’s and men’s beach volleyball
Scotland and England, two federations benefiting from Volleyball Empowerment coach support, picked up a combined four of the six medals at the women’s and men’s Small Countries Association (SCA) Beach Volleyball Zonal Championships held in Perth.
In the final of the 12-team women’s main draw, Scotland’s Kathryn Barbour and Rachel Morrison pleased the home crowd with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) win over England’s Victoria Palmer and Alana Snow. Another home pair, Lynne Beattie and Mhairi Agnew, joined the podium after a 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) sweep of the bronze medal game against Ireland’s Fiona Lamont and Lara McNichols. A Scottish duo reached the men’s final as well. Luxembourg’s Colin Hilbert and Steve Weber claimed the gold upon defeating David Lewis Mexson and James McHardy in straight sets, 2-0 (21-15, 21-18). The bronze went to Monaco’s Pascal Ferry and Vincent Ferry, who mastered a 2-0 (21-9, 21-17) win over Conor Robins and Davoud Ahmad Panah of Wales in the third-place game.
Scotland’s beach volleyball has so far been allocated a total of CHF 108,000 by Volleyball Empowerment for coach support of their national duos in both genders. Meanwhile, CHF 72,000 worth of coach support went to England’s national beach volleyball pairs.
EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships - U16 girls’ and U16 boys’ beach volleyball
Three Ukrainian pairs were among the six medallists at the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U16 Beach Volleyball Championships for both genders held in Riga. They compete internationally with Volleyball Empowerment assistance of CHF 210,000 through an ongoing Memorandum of Understanding between the FIVB and their national federation.
In the boys’ final, Ukraine’s Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan mastered a 2-0 (21-19, 21-11) straight-setter against Estonia’s Toomas Patrik Parejogi and Armin Kender. Another Ukrainian duo, Bohdan Romanyshyn and Mykola Trofymchuk, produced an emphatic 2-0 (21-10, 21-17) sweep of the bronze medal match against Latvia’s Tomass Blekte and Bruno Liepins.
The Ukrainian girls’ tandem of Oleksandra Krasnozhon and Mariia Shkurat took home a silver medal. The gold went to Latvia’s Milana Tina Aleksejeva and Megija Rumaka, who pleased the home crowd with a 2-1 (17-21, 21-10, 15-11) turnaround in the final. Marta Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimagi completed the girls’ podium, also after a comeback from a set down in the third-place match, 2-1 (15-21, 21-13, 15-9) against Latvia’s Monika Mamaja and Deneva Sauberga Lepe.
EEVZA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships - U18 girls’ and U18 boys’ beach volleyball
Also benefiting from Volleyball Empowerment support, Ukraine’s Tymofii Tverdokhlib and Dmytro Kozii took the boys’ bronze at the EEVZA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Riga.
In the final, Latvia’s Karlis Jaundzeikars and Matiss Salkovskis delighted the home fans with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-11) win over Poland’s Jakub Krzeminski and Wanat Marcel, while Tverdokhlib and Kozii defeated Lithuania’s Raigardas Macionis and Dovydas Sinkevicius by a hard-fought 2-1 (21-19, 20-22, 15-11).
On the girls’ side, Poland’s Paulina Labuz and Julia Radelczuk triumphed as EEVZA champions after a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) win over Latvia’s Marta Beatrise Gintere and Eva Elizabete Brokane in the final. The bronze went to another Polish duo, Joanna Bartosiewicz and Zuzanna Rapczynska, who produced a 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) victory over Ukraine’s Soffia Shchutska and Kateryna Biliak in the third-place game.
Commonwealth Youth Games - U18 girls’ and U18 boys’ beach volleyball
Volleyball Empowerment beneficiaries from New Zealand claimed the bronze medals in both genders at the Commonwealth Youth Games held in Trinidad and Tobago. New Zealand’s beach volleyball has so far been allocated CHF 252,000 of coach support.
Kiana Stevenson and Tineke Hinton took the ladies’ bronze. In the third-place match, they defeated Kenya’s Sharon Chepkogei and Abigael Chebet by 2-0 (22-20, 21-16). The gold medals went to Canada’s Calinda Kok and Katarina Drozd after an emphatic 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) sweep of the final against Australia’s Jasmine Rayner and Cameron Zajer.
Canada took the gold in the boys’ competition too. Oliver Toomes and Andon Kiriakou mastered a 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) victory over England’s Peter Soczewka and Robert Morgan in the final. New Zealand’s Calum Stewart and Juraj Krajci came back from a set down against Cyprus’s Anninos-Alexios Chrysostomou and Alexis Savvidis to win the bronze medal game by a narrow 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 16-14).
Source : fivb.com
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