As the sun beats down and the sand warms up, national beach volleyball tours across Europe are delivering competitive action and crowning domestic champions. From fierce three-set battles to dominant straight-set victories, the past week saw exciting conclusions to events in several countries. Here’s a summary of some key results from the continent`s vibrant beach volleyball scene.
Estonia: Rannavolle Suvetuur in Paide
The Estonian Rannavolle Suvetuur made a stop in Paide, where the top-seeded teams lived up to their billing. In the women`s final, Maret Kuuse & Laura Liisa Maiste secured the gold after a hard-fought 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-11) victory over Lithuania`s Vlada Oganauskiene & Lilija Firinovic. The bronze went to Raili Hunt & Marie Pohlak.
For the men, bracket leaders Kusti Nolvak & Rasmus Meius also claimed gold, overcoming second seeds Urmas Piik & Sander Steinberg in another three-set thriller, 2-1 (22-20, 17-21, 15-10). Wild cards Kristo Kollo & Karl Jaani took home the bronze medal.
France: France Beach Volley Series in Saintes
Saintes hosted a women`s event on the France Beach Volley Series. The final saw Julie De Vathaire & Faustine Blondeau pull off a notable 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) upset against the top-seeded pair, Naty Molinos & Lucile Colin, to claim gold. The bronze medal match provided its own drama, with the mixed Polish-American team of Aleksandra Wachowicz & Violeta Slabakova winning a tight 2-1 (21-16, 23-25, 16-14) contest for third place.
Germany: German Beach Tour (Munich) & ROCK the BEACH (Sankt Peter-Ording)
Germany, ever a hotbed for beach volleyball, featured two significant tour stops. In Munich, on the 2025 German Beach Tour (yes, 2025 was the year mentioned, perhaps a typo or forward planning?), second seeds Hanna-Marie Schieder & Karla Borger won the women`s gold in a 2-1 match against Mareet Maidhof & Paula Schurholz. Third place was shared.
The men`s final in Munich saw David Poniewaz & Luis Kubo “squeezed out” (as the original report put it, a rather descriptive term for a tight victory) a 2-1 (20-22, 21-14, 15-7) win over qualifiers Yannick Bibelriether & Valentin Schneckenburger. Bronze was also shared, including an Austrian pair.
Meanwhile, the ROCK the BEACH tour kicked off its year in Sankt Peter-Ording. Men`s top seeds Yannik Ahr & Luis Henrichs justified their ranking with a 2-1 (21-11, 21-23, 15-8) gold medal victory over Georg Wolf & Peter Wolf. The men`s bronze was a three-set win for the German-Slovenian duo Jonathan Erdmann & Nejc Zemljak.
In the women`s ROCK the BEACH final, second seeds Leonie Klinke & Elea Beutel executed a convincing 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) upset over the top seeds Christine Aulenbrock & Lisa-Sophie Kotzan. Third seeds Nina Interwies & Larissa Claassen secured bronze in three sets.
Greece: Hellenic Beach Volleyball National Tour in Piraeus
The Hellenic Beach Volleyball National Tour visited Piraeus, where wild cards Elisavet Triantafillidi & Dimitra Manavi defied the odds to win the women`s gold, triumphing 2-1 (21-17, 14-21, 15-13) against second seeds Konstantina Tsopoulou & Mirto Kalamaridou. The teams losing the semifinals shared the third place.
The men`s title went to Dimitrios Chatzinikolaou & Stavros Ntallas with a solid 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) win in the final against Panagiotis Semitekolos & Christos Tsigaridas. Bronze was also shared in the men`s competition.
Italy: Fonzies Absolute Italian Championship in Marina di Ravenna
Italy`s premier beach volleyball tour, the Fonzies Absolute Italian Championship, stopped at Marina di Ravenna. Second seeds Carlo Bonifazi & Raoul Acerbi claimed the men`s gold with a straight-sets 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) victory over Daniele Travi & Nicolo Siccardi. Simone Podesta & Edoardo Pizzileo took bronze.
In the women`s tournament, third seeds Giada Benazzi & Erika Ditta emerged victorious, winning their final 2-0 (23-21, 21-18) against Camilla Sanguigni & Sofia Balducci. Aurora Mattavelli & Margherita Tega completed the podium with a convincing bronze medal match win.
Netherlands: Eredivisie Beach in Utrecht
The Eredivisie Beach national tour visited Utrecht. The men`s final saw second seeds Cain van Hal & Mart van Werkhoven defeat third seeds Quinten Groenewold & Joran Maurice 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) for the gold. The bronze match was a tense three-setter, with Gijs Dikken & Elwin Oskam winning 2-1.
Bracket leaders Mila Konink & Raisa Schoon dominated the women`s final, beating second seeds Lisa Luini & Desy Poiesz 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) for gold. The women`s bronze was won by Serena van der Made & Rianne Stok in three sets, who upset the third seeds.
Poland: Orlen Beach Volley Tour in Leba
Poland`s Orlen Beach Volley Tour stopped in Leba. The women`s gold went to second seeds Aleksandra Zdon & Justyna Lukaszewska, who defeated Tereza Pluharova & Michaela Kubickova 2-0 (21-11, 22-20). Agnieszka Woloszyn & Aleksandra Chyla secured bronze in a close straight-sets match.
The men`s tournament saw bracket leaders Jedrzej Brozyniak & Piotr Janiak take gold with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) win over qualifiers Piotr Lukasik & Kacper Taudul. Another qualifiers team, Jakub Zdybek & Pawel Lewandowski, clinched the bronze in a three-set battle.
Slovakia: Nike Summer Beach Tour in Strazke
Slovakia`s 2025 Nike Summer Beach Tour (again, 2025?) held an event in Strazke. Men`s top seeds Adrian Petruf & Richard Petruf claimed gold with a dominant 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) win over Lukas Nesticky & Martin Petras. The bronze match featured two mixed Slovakian-Czech teams, with Kamil Pavlinsky & Jarosik Jakub taking third place.
Second seeds Michaela Panekova & Veronika Podhradska won the women`s gold, beating Ema Matasova & Ema Palkovicova 2-0 (21-16, 23-21). Karolina Majernikova & Andrea Spevarova secured bronze with a swift 2-0 victory.
Notably, the original recap also included results from Japan`s Yokohama event on the Japan Beach Volleyball Tour, where Sakura Ito & Mayu Sawame won the women`s gold and Hiroki Dylan Kurokawa & Yoshiumi Hasegawa won the men`s gold. While outside Europe, it shows the global reach of national tours.
This overview highlights the depth of talent and competitive spirit present in national beach volleyball across Europe. Congratulations to all the medalists and participants on their performances! The season promises more exciting action on the sand.
Marcus Blakely