The MEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championship officially got underway in Portorož on Wednesday, with the region’s youngest talents opening three days of competition. The opening day featured the first two rounds of pool play, with plenty of exciting matches and several closely contested encounters across both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
In the men’s competition, Pool A opened with Austria’s Heiland/Schmid defeating Hungary’s Buday/Gyetvan 2-0, while Czech pair Kozler/Prokes also claimed a straight-set victory over Slovakia’s Kalma/Hruzik. The afternoon brought a turnaround as Kalma/Hruzik responded with a 2-0 win over Heiland/Schmid, while Kozler/Prokeš remained unbeaten after overcoming Buday/Gyetvan in straight sets.
Pool B saw Czech duo Votava/Marel open their campaign with a 2-0 victory against Slovenia’s Strcaj/Markac, while Hungary’s Kiss/Vince edged Austria’s Grossegger/Trummer in a dramatic three-set battle. Later in the day, Kiss/Vince continued their winning run by defeating Votava/Marel 2-1, while Grossegger/Trummer bounced back with a straight-set victory over Strcaj/Markac.
In Pool C, Czech pair Herget/Yapparov recovered from losing the opening set to defeat Slovakia’s Sekera/Zabava 2-1, while Slovenia’s Modic/Kovac overcame Croatia’s Rukovanjski/Cvijancevic in straight sets. The evening session saw Sekera/Zabava respond with a 2-0 victory over the Croatian team, while Herget/Yapparov secured another hard-fought three-set win, this time against Modic/Kovac.
Pool D featured two Austrian victories, with Lorenz/Galler defeating Hungary’s Tari/Ghazal and Slovenia’s Perko/Pavasovic overcoming Croatia’s Dugandzic/Fuzul in three sets. Later, Perko/Pavasovic remained unbeaten after defeating Tari/Ghazal 2-0, while Lorenz/Galler completed a perfect day with another straight-set victory over Dugandzic/Fuzul.
The women’s tournament also produced a series of impressive performances. In Pool A, Austria’s Angerer/Innocenti opened with a straight-set win over Slovenia’s Menard/Novak, while Czech pair Naskosova/Rechtackova defeated Hungary’s Szalay/Pandi. The Czech duo then maintained their unbeaten record by defeating Angerer/Innocenti in three sets, while Szalay/Pandi earned their first victory with a 2-0 win over Menard/Novak.
Pool B featured two three-set encounters in the morning, as Hungary’s Komondi/Vargha defeated Czech pair Frkalova/Svobodova, while Slovakia’s Matusova/Kmetova edged Austria’s Schonegger/Gulasik. In the afternoon, Komondi/Vargha claimed another straight-set victory over Matusova/Kmetova, while Frkalova/Svobodova bounced back with a three-set win against Schonegger/Gulasik.
Pool C belonged to Czech pair Mastnikova/Stepankova, who recorded two convincing straight-set victories over Hungary’s Tabor/Gertler and Croatia’s Perhat/Lisjak. Slovenia’s Stopar/Dremelj also enjoyed a successful opening day, defeating both Perhat/Lisjak and Tabor/Gertler without dropping a set.
Pool D delivered some of the day’s most exciting volleyball. Slovakia’s Bucova/Dzechova defeated Austria’s Thamer/Grumeth in straight sets before adding a hard-fought three-set victory over Slovenia’s Ficko/Pahor. Croatia’s Raguz/Guina recovered from a three-set defeat against Ficko/Pahor by finishing the day with a convincing straight-set win over Thamer/Grumeth.
The pool stage continues on Thursday, when the remaining group matches will determine the quarterfinal line-up ahead of the decisive final day of the championship.
