Challenge - Veracruz, Mexico - 2025

Stam & Schoon back in full swing to earn Veracruz Challenge gold

USA’s Quiggle & Loreen and Puerto Rico’s Navas & Gonzalez complete the podium

Published 08:28, 05 Oct 2025

Dutch standouts Katja Stam & Raisa Schoon went all the way to the top at the Veracruz Challenge on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. Recently returning from Stam’s long injury-prompted absence, they were back in full swing in Mexico and made it from the qualifications all the way to the gold on an undefeated run of seven consecutive wins, the last six of which in straight-set main draw matches. For the former number one team on the FIVB World Ranking, it was the fourth gold and the 10^th podium overall on the Beach Pro Tour.

Top-seeded Americans Corinne Quiggle & Chloe Loreen settled for silver. It was their first Beach Pro Tour medal since they teamed up for the start of the season. They also reached the final undefeated with only one set dropped along the way.

23-year-old Puerto Ricans Allanis Navas & Maria Gonzalez picked up their first ever Beach Pro Tour medal. At their first appearance on the Tour this year, they started their journey from the qualifiers and made it all the way to the podium, where the duo seeded 28^th in the 32-team main draw received the bronze medals

The 2025 Veracruz Challenge women's podium (source: Instituto Veracruzano Del Deporte)

After 6-6 in the first set of the final, 26^th-seeded Stam & Schoon took a two-point lead and stayed in control through the end of the set, expanding it to a five-point margin at Schoon’s powerful hit for the closing point. With the momentum on their side, the Dutch duo completely dominated the second set and opened up a wide gap. In the end, it was Stam, whose kill down the line closed the match at an emphatic 2-0 (21-16, 21-14). With four kill blocks and an ace under her belt, Stam topped the scorers chart of the match with 25 points. Schoon added another eight, also including one ace. With two aces to her name, Loreen finished with a total of seven points, while Quiggle spearheaded the US duo with 15 points, all in swings.

Loreen/Quiggle vs. Stam/Schoon - Match Highlights, 10/05/2025

“The most important thing is that we are following a process. We were really focused on what we had to do and at the end we made it our goal to get the gold and it was the perfect ending,” Schoon said after the game. “The people here gave us some extra energy and we enjoyed every moment on the court.”

“I am really happy and really exhausted,” said Stam. “But it was a really nice game and thank you to the crowd for cheering for us to help us in this warm weather.”

Just before the final, the third-place match between Navas & Gonzalez and 24^th-seeded qualifiers from New Zealand Shaunna Polley & Olivia MacDonald was played. The first set was competitive only through 13-13, after which the Puerto Ricans broke away and never looked back until Gonzalez put away the set winner with a spike. After 6-6 in set two, Navas & Gonzalez ran off with a solid lead, but this time the Kiwis managed to catch up at 15-15. However, that was as far as they could go. The Caribbean team stayed more focused in the money time, took control of the scoreboard and it was Gonzales again, who delivered the match winner with a successful cross-court swing for 2-0 (21-15, 21-17). Gonzalez led the way with a match-high 16 points, including two blocks. Navas put away the team’s only ace to finish with a total of 13 points. MacDonald signed off with two aces and a block towards a 13-point tally, while Polley topped that with 14 points, all in attack.