The 2025 Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U16 Beach Volleyball Championships, organized by the Latvian Volleyball Federation, concluded on Friday in Cēsis. Home favourites Milana Tīna Aleksejeva and Karlīna Bērziņa of Latvia claimed the top spot in the girls` competition, while Lithuania’s Tautvydas Galubickas and Rokas Lukoševičius secured gold in the boys` category.
In the girls` final match, the Latvian duo Aleksejeva and Bērziņa overcame Ukraine`s Diana Avramenko/Vira Hudz in a hard-fought three-set battle, winning 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 17-15).
Milana Tīna Aleksejeva commented on their victory: “This tournament was quite tough, particularly because we had just competed in the EEVZA U18 Championship. We felt the fatigue. Playing multiple matches that went to three sets was unusual and physically demanding. Nevertheless, we are very proud that we persevered and delivered a strong performance. We view this result positively. It proved to ourselves and others that we can remain resilient, even under challenging conditions.” She added, “This victory might not be the most significant in our career, but it is valuable as it earns us additional points in the FIVB and Latvian championship rankings, which will help us achieve better seedings in future tournaments. This win provides a practical advantage moving forward.”
The bronze medal in the girls` competition went to Poland`s Natalia Lewandowska/Hanna Lesniewicz, who also won in three sets (21-17, 17-21, 15-9) against the Latvian pair Anna Kovaļova/Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare.
Earlier in the semifinals, Avramenko/Hudz defeated Kovaļova/Jaundžeikare in straight sets (24-22, 21-18), while Aleksejeva/Bērziņa needed three sets (21-13, 15-21, 15-12) to get past the Polish team.
In the boys` final, Lithuania`s Tautvydas Galubickas/Rokas Lukoševičius secured a dominant straight-sets victory (21-13, 21-15) against Poland`s Wojciech Witkowski/Antoni Czarnecki.
The boys` bronze medal was claimed by another Polish duo, Hubert Ziajka/Karol Lunio, who defeated Estonia`s Marten Heinlaid/Jan Erik Praks 2-0 (21-14, 22-20). The top Latvian boys` team, Ralfs Linga and Edvards Miķelsons, reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the Estonian pair.
Semifinal results saw Galubickas/Lukoševičius defeat Heinlaid/Praks 2-0 (21-18, 21-19), while Witkowski/Czarnecki won a close Polish derby against Ziajka and Lunio in three sets (21-19, 12-21, 15-11).
Five countries participated in the EEVZA U16 Championships: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.
U18 Championships Also Conclude in Cēsis
The EEVZA U18 Championships also took place in Cēsis, concluding on Wednesday. In the boys` U18 final, Estonia`s Armin Kender/Patrik Parijõgi defeated Latvia`s Tomass Silavs/Bruno Liepiņš 2-0 (21-13, 21-14). The girls` U18 final saw an all-Latvian matchup, with Monika Mamaja/Alise Aleksāne winning against Estonia`s Marta-Mia Ploomipuu/Hannemai Hanimägi 2-0 (21-13, 21-18). The top two teams from both genders in the U18 event qualified for the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships in Corigliano Rossano, Italy, scheduled for September 11-15.