Teams supported by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme dominated the podium at the Beach Pro Tour Warsaw (Wilanow Region) Futures with the Ukrainian pair of Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko emerging as champions to celebrate their first title as partners.
Compatriots Inna Makhno and Sofiia Rylova claimed bronze while another Volleyball Empowerment team of Heleene Hollas and Liisa Remmelg from Estonia settled for silver.
While the FIVB has invested CHF 216,500 in Estonia for coach support since 2019, the Federation has also helped the Ukraine Volleyball Federation to continue its volleyball activities since 2022 as part of MoUs signed in 2022 and 2023.
In total, the FIVB provided financial support up to USD 210,000 in 2022 across the men’s, women’s, U21 women’s and U22 men’s national volleyball teams, as well as Ukraine’s senior and U19 national beach volleyball teams. The 2023 MoU covers further support up to USD 210,000 to support all of Ukraine’s volleyball and beach volleyball national teams with a focus on the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Hladun and Lazarenko proved victorious over third-seeded Hollas and Remmelg, coached by Rivo Vesik, in the final with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-14) sweep to end the tournament unbeaten and without dropping a set.
The Ukranian top seeds had beaten Czech sixth seeds Anna Pavelkova and Katerina Pavelkova by a similar margin (21-19, 21-09) in the semifinals to proceed to the final. Earlier, Hladun and Lazarenko defeated Poland’s Patrycja Jundzill and Kinga Legieta 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) in the quarterfinals after finishing top of Pool A with four points.
Meanwhile, the Estonian pair of Hollas and Remmelg experienced closer matches throughout the tournament, edging out tenth seeds Makhno and Rylova 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-13) in the semifinals before the top seeds beat them in the final. They had also finished top of Pool C unbeaten with four points before beating Poland’s fourth seeds Agata Cedynowa and Marta Lodej 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) in the quarterfinals.
After losing their semi-final, Makhno and Rhylova picked themselves up in the third-place play-off to beat last year’s U18 European champions, the Czech Pavelková twins Anna and Katerina, 2-1 (19-21, 22-20, 14-16) and settle for bronze, their first podium appearance as a pair.
It was a timely reward for their fairytale run in the tournament where they stunned Lithuania’s second seeds Gerda Grudzinskaite and Rugile Grudzinskaite 2-1 (22-20, 17-21, 15-11) and seventh seeds Ieva Dumbauskaite and Skalve Krizanauskaite 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) to emerge top of Pool B with four points.
A 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) quarterfinal sweep of Slovakia’s Lubica Siposova and Martina Terenova landed them in the last four where they lost to Hollas and Remmelg.
A total of 16 teams drawn from 14 countries participated in the event held from 7 to 10 September.