Fantini Club in Cervia, Italy hosted an FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 1-star tournament. The competition field had plenty of Middle European teams in it and Slovenia’s women Tjaša Kotnik and Tajda Lovšin reached all the way to a bronze medal.
Slovenia’s Kotnik / Lovšin had themselves almost a perfect tournament. Winning all of their matches, except the semifinal against Kotnik’s former NCAA Beach Volleyball Division I partner Molly Turner with her new blocker Terese Cannon from the USA in a tight three set match.
On the men’s side the Austrian duo of Maxi Trummer and Felix Friedl also fought their way to the semifinals, where eventually they had to congratulate the later medalists from Italy and Finland and accept a strong 4th place finish.
Results
Final 3rd Place
Kotnik/Lovsin, T. (SLO) – Rubini/Godenzoni (ITA) 2-0 (21-13, 21-15)
Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) – Nurminen/Siren (FIN) 0-2 (14-21, 16-21)
Semifinals
Windisch/Cottafava (ITA) – Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) 2-0 (21-16, 21-13)
Turner/Cannon (USA) – Kotnik/Lovsin, T. (SLO) 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-10)
Quarterfinals
Evans/Field (USA) – Dzavoronok/Sedlak (CZE) 2-0 (21-15, 21-12)
Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) – Kufa, R./Waber (CZE) 2-0 (26-24, 21-10)
Chris/Rivas Zapata (CHI) – Kotnik/Lovsin, T. (SLO) 0-2 (15-21, 14-21)
Round of 12
Dzavoronok/Sedlak (CZE) – Abbiati/Andreatta, T. (ITA) 2-0 (21-17, 21-19)
Marchetto/Dal Corso (ITA) – Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) 1-2 (21-14, 19-21, 13-15)
Ranghieri/Viscovich (ITA) – Kindl/Seiser (AUT) 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-9)
Chris/Rivas Zapata (CHI) – Dave/Ashush (ISR) 2-0 (21-18, 21-18)
Pool Play
Windisch/Cottafava (ITA) – Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) 2-0 (21-17, 21-12)
Nurminen/Siren (FIN) – Dzavoronok/Sedlak (CZE) 2-0 (21-19, 21-15)
Kufa, R./Waber (CZE) – Kindl/Seiser (AUT) 2-0 (21-17, 21-18)
They/Breidenbach (ITA) – Dave/Ashush (ISR) 2-0 (21-16, 21-13)
Mattavelli/Gottardi (ITA) – Kotnik/Lovsin, T. (SLO) 0-2 (15-21, 14-21)
Gruszczynska/Legieta (POL) – Dunarova/Resova (CZE) 2-1 (21-14, 14-21, 15-9)
Kurowski/Kruk (POL) – Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) 0-2 (18-21, 19-21)
Dzavoronok/Sedlak (CZE) – MacNeil/Hoey (CAN) 2-0 (21-17, 21-17)
Kindl/Seiser (AUT) – Roberts/Mewhirter (USA) 2-0 (21-16, 21-19)
Abbiati/Andreatta, T. (ITA) – Kufa, R./Waber (CZE) 0-2 (18-21, 19-21)
Andrea/Gorda (COL) – Dave/Ashush (ISR) 0-2 (17-21, 18-21)
Kotnik/Lovsin, T. (SLO) – Dunarova/Resova (CZE) 2-1 (22-24, 21-19, 15-7)
Qualification
Trummer/Friedl, F. (AUT) – Broch/Sütterlin (SUI) 2-0 (21-14, 21-15)
Florczyk/Nowak (POL) – Kufa, R./Waber (CZE) 1-2 (21-18, 13-21, 17-19)
Manavi/Kalamaridou (GRE) – Dunarova/Resova (CZE) 0-2 (15-21, 12-21)
Rubini/Godenzoni (ITA) – Starikov/Gonzalez (ISR) 2-0 (21-12, 21-18)
Pala/Vala (CZE) – Benzi/Bonifazi (ITA) 0-2 (13-21, 13-21)
Damen/van der Loo (NED) – Kufa, R./Waber (CZE) 0-2 (13-21, 17-21)
Ditta/Leoni (ITA) – Kulhankova/Pospisilova (CZE) 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-7)
Kalfinova/Petrova (BUL) – Dunarova/Resova (CZE) 0-2 (16-21, 11-21)
Juraszik/Czene (HUN) – Turner/Cannon (USA) 0-2 (5-21, 8-21)
Benedik Bevc/Hrovat (SLO) – Starikov/Gonzalez (ISR) 0-2 (15-21, 8-21)
