30-year-old Ukrainian twins Inna Makhno & Iryna Makhno triumphed at the women’s Krakow Futures on Sunday to celebrate their first Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour gold in three years. On the podium in Poland, they were joined by Norway’s Frida Berntsen & Oda Steinsvag and Spain’s Sofia Izuzquiza & Sofia Gonzalez.
The Makhno sisters, seeded ninth in the Krakow main draw, finished runners-up in their pool, but then went on a four-match winning run in the playoffs to collect their second Beach Pro Tour medal as a team. The first one was also gold and they earned it at the Baden Futures back in 2022. In the semifinals, the Ukrainians produced a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) upset of fourth-seeded Marta Lodej & Julia Kielak of Poland, and in the gold medal showdown, they persevered through two overtime sets to achieve a 2-1 (23-21, 20-22, 15-5) victory in the tie-breaker against Berntsen & Steinsvag.
