Slovenia crowns Beach Volleyball champions in lead-up to upcoming 1-Star event

Ljubljana, Slovenia. In what has become some sort of a tradition, the city of Kranj hosted the best Slovenia’s Beach Volleyball players who gathered in a record number and were eager to start their campaign for the coveted national championship titles. Tjaša Kotnik and Monika Potokar dominated the women’s competition, while Nejc Zemljak and Jan Pokeršnik won gold in the men’s tournament.

The event with a record number of participating teams, 24 in the men’s and 22 in the women’s division, respectively, took place at two venues, at Preddvor and Kranj, and after exactly sixty matches played in rather changing weather conditions, it was time to crown the 2020 Slovenian national champions. 

2020 Slovenian national champions Tjaša Kotnik and Monika Potokar celebrate their victory in Kranj 

Tjaša Kotnik cemented her domestic dominance with a fourth consecutive national championship title, this time won together with Slovenia’s indoor national team member Monika Potokar – who was a champion already in 2016. “We were expecting a difficult final and we were also mentally preparing for it because we knew that the opponents played the whole tournament on a very high level. It was much harder to claim the title this year, as many tournaments were cancelled, so we did not even know what to count on. We started the championship at a slower pace, we did not play at the level we wanted, but we improved with each match and finished the championship on the top of the podium. The feeling is great and I am very happy,” commented Kotnik. 

Slovenia’s rising Beach Volleyball stars Lana Žužek and Zala Špoljari? were the silver medallists and Tajda Lovšin/Špela Morgan finished the competition in third place.

Action during the final match of the men’s competition in Kranj 

“We did not have the opportunity to practice as much as we wanted and obviously, there was a lack of matches and tournaments but all Slovenian teams experienced the same conditions, so nobody knew what to expect. I would say that Jan and I remained extremely focussed on our performances throughout the tournament and did so especially in the final. Boženk and Jakopin played good, but this time our serving and good reception were the key to victory,” said Zemljak, who won his second title, the first one with his teammate Jan, who was already crowned national champion with his older brother Danijel in 2011 and 2012. 

The full podium of the 2020 Slovenian Beach Volleyball national championships

Last year’s champions Vid Jakopin and Tadej Boženk – who was hoping for a fifth consecutive title – had to be content with the silver medal and Danijel Pokeršnik/?rtomir Bošnjak completed the podium in Kranj.

The national championship was a good test event for the best Slovenian Beach Volleyball players who will now turn their attention to the FIVB World Tour 1-Star tournament starting soon in Ljubljana, the first international Beach Volleyball competition after the long break imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources:
CEV – European Volleyball
OZS – Volleyball Federation of Slovenia