The recent CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships in Corigliano Rossano saw both men`s and women`s finals contested exclusively by teams supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. In the women`s final, Greek duo Eleni Alexoglou and Myrto Paschalaki triumphed over Germany`s Anna-Chiara Reformat and Rika Dieckmann. The men`s final was won by another German team, Jonathan Bungert and Filo Wust, who defeated Ukrainians Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan. Bronze medals were awarded to Lente Thant & Simone Vervloet of Belgium and Marco Di Felice & Riccardo Santomassimo of Italy.
The success of these nations is directly linked to the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. The German Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball division received USD 168,000 in coach support, with national teams training under former European champion and two-time Olympian Christoph Dieckmann. Greece`s beach volleyball department has been allocated USD 262,500 for coach support, with their youth women`s pairs guided by Christos Dozis and Konstantinos Gkountas. Since 2022, the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has also provided substantial support to the Ukraine Volleyball Federation, with total funding of USD 670,000 to help continue their volleyball and beach volleyball activities.
Greek prodigies Eleni Alexoglou (15) and Myrto Paschalaki (17) had an impeccable run in Italy, winning all seven of their matches and losing only two sets. Their path to gold included a tense 2-0 (22-20, 29-27) semifinal victory against France’s Josephine Candela & Ally Ozanne Pian, followed by a decisive 2-0 (23-21, 21-17) win over 16-year-old Germans Anna-Chiara Reformat & Rika Dieckmann in the final.
Reformat and Dieckmann similarly reached the final with an undefeated record in six matches. Their only set loss before the final occurred in their 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-10) semifinal triumph over Belgium’s Lente Thant & Simone Vervloet, which guaranteed them at least a silver medal. This marked Reformat`s second continental medal, adding to the U18 bronze she secured the previous year with a different partner.
Having experienced their sole tournament defeat in the semifinals, the Belgian pair, Lente Thant & Simone Vervloet, recovered to claim the bronze medal with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) victory against Candela & Ozanne Pian in the third-place playoff.
Women’s Results and Standings
Filo Wust (16) made an impressive international debut, securing a gold medal. His partner, Jonathan Bungert, improved upon the U18 men’s European silver he won last year with a different teammate. The German pair navigated the Corigliano Rossano tournament flawlessly, losing only two sets across seven matches. One of these was in their 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 15-10) semifinal win against top-seeded home favorites Marco Di Felice & Riccardo Santomassimo. In the final, Bungert & Wust achieved a 2-0 (22-20, 21-12) victory over Ukraine’s Yehor Skrypnychenko & Andrii Lunkan.
These two sets in the final were part of only three sets lost by the Ukrainian team throughout the competition. Their third lost set came during a 2-1 (14-21, 21-11, 15-12) semifinal comeback win against Estonia’s Patrik Parijogi & Armin Kender. This event marked a significant debut at a major international competition for both Skrypnychenko and Lunkan.
Apart from their semifinal clash with the eventual champions, Di Felice & Santomassimo showcased a perfect record of six straight-set victories. They delighted the home crowd by securing the bronze medal with a 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) win against Parijogi & Kender in the third-place match.
Men’s Results and Standings
In total, 32 women’s teams and 33 men’s teams, representing 33 different national federations, participated in the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships.
