Volleyball Empowerment beneficiaries earn continental and zonal medals in beach volleyball

A number of teams benefitting from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment support claimed international podium spots at recent continental and zonal beach volleyball competitions, including the CSV South American Tour, the Mediterranean Beach Games and a WEVZA zonal event. A MEVZA zonal tour stop also took place over the weekend.

CSV South American Beach Volleyball Tour

Marco Grimalt and Esteban Grimalt (pictured in the main photo; credits: CSV) topped the men’s podium at the CSV South American Tour event in Cayenne. Chile’s beach volleyball national teams benefit from a CHF 72,000 coach support grant from Volleyball Empowerment, in addition to CHF 9,500 worth of beach volleyball equipment. Guided by coach Adriano Bonina Cerqueira, the Grimalts celebrated the gold medals in French Guiana after a 2-0 (24-22, 21-15) win over Argentina’s Nicolas Capogrosso and Tomas Capogrosso in the final. The bronze went to Brazil’s Gabriel Dos Reis Santiago and Felipe Alves Pereira, who claimed a 2-0 (21-15, 21-13) victory over Paraguay’s Gonzalo Melgarejo and Giuliano Massare Canillas in the third-place match.

Men’s results and standings

A Volleyball Empowerment-supported pair reached the women’s final too. Steered by coach Francismar Adriano Dias Garrido, Paraguay’s Erika Bobadilla and Michelle Valiente claimed the silver medals. Paraguayan women’s beach volleyball has so far been allocated a total of CHF 180,000 worth of coach support from Volleyball Empowerment, in addition to CHF 9,500 worth of equipment. In the final, Argentina’s Ana Gallay and Brenda Ailen Churin produced a 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) win over Erika and Michelle. Brazil’s Josemari Alves and Talita Calixto Simonetti captured a 2-0 (21-11, 24-22) victory over Gabriela Brito and Juliennis Regalado in the bronze medal game.

Women’s results and standings

Mediterranean Beach Games Heraklion 2023

Duos representing French beach volleyball, which enjoys FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support ahead of hosting next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, made it to both the men’s and the women’s podiums at the Mediterranean Beach Games Heraklion 2023 in Greece. A total of CHF 590,000 has been allocated to the country’s beach volleyball programme so far.

Quincy Aye and Calvin Aye triumphed as men’s Mediterranean Beach Games champions after a 2-0 (22-20, 21-13) sweep of the gold medal match against Italy’s Davide Benzi and Carlo Bonifazi. Portugal’s Hugo Campos and Joao Pedrosa snatched the bronze after a hard-fought 2-1 (24-22, 19-21, 15-13) victory over another Italian pair, Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich, in the third-place game.

Men’s results and standings

Greece v France in the Mediterranean Beach Games women’s bronze medal match (Photo credits: volleyball.gr)

France’s Clemence Vieira and Aline Chamereau made the women’s podium with bronze. In an all-Italian final, Reka Orsi Toth and Giada Bianchi mastered an emphatic 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) win over Margherita Bianchin and Claudia Scampoli, while Vieira and Chamereau produced a 2-0 (21-10, 21-17) sweep of the bronze medal match against Greece’s Dionysia Matiou and Liza Triantafillidi.

Women’s results and standings

WEVZA Zonal Tour

Another two French pairs, benefitting from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, met in the women’s final of the Western European Volleyball Zonal Association (WEVZA) Zonal Tour event, held in Battipaglia. Pia Szewczyk and Saofe Duval outlasted Alex Merle and Anouk Dupin in an epic three-set battle to celebrate a 2-1 (22-20, 18-21, 22-20) victory. Three sets were played in the all-Swiss third-place match as well. A 2-1 (21-19, 12-21, 15-11) win over Nadine Demierre and Jasmin Schwab brought the bronze to Deborah Lutz and Jasmine Wandeler.

Women’s results and standings

The Netherlands, whose men’s beach volleyball programme has so far been allocated a total of CHF 72,000 of coach support, also had its representatives on the WEVZA podium in Italy. Yannick Verberne and Erik Nijland claimed the silver medals in the men’s competition. Two home teams completed the podium. In the gold medal game, Alessandro Carucci and Marco Ulisse took a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) win over the Dutch pair, and in the bronze medal match, Giacomo Spadoni and Luca Cravera defeated France’s Joadel Gardoque and Keran Duval also in straight sets, 2-0 (21-14, 21-15).

Men’s results and standings

MEVZA Zonal Tour

Hosts Austria achieved a complete sweep of all semifinal spots in the men’s tournament at the Middle European Volleyball Zonal Association (MEVZA) Zonal Tour event in Innsbruck. The gold medal match offered an exciting three-set clash between former teammates. Martin Ermacora and Philipp Waller defeated Moritz Pristauz and Robin Seidl by a hard-fought 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-9). The all-Austrian bronze medal game was also resolved in a tie-breaker, 2-1 (14-21, 23-21, 16-14) in favour of Timo Hammarberg and Tim Berger against Florian Schnetzer and Lorenz Petutschnig.

Men’s results and standings

A thrilling three-setter also unfolded in the women’s final in Innsbruck, with Slovenia’s Ziva Javornik and Maja Marolt producing a narrow 2-1 (14-21, 23-21, 16-14) victory over Hungary’s Stefania Flora Kun and Kinga Melinda Windisch. The bronze went to Austria’s Magdalena Rabitsch and Anja Trailovic, who managed a tight 2-0 (22-20, 21-19) win over Slovakia’s Barbora Tokosova and Silvia Poszmikova in the third-place match.

Women’s results and standings