The final stop of the CEV Snow Volley European Tour is set to take place this weekend, March 30th-31st, in Prato Nevoso, Italy. The countdown is nearly complete as the location prepares to host the highly anticipated event.
A total of twenty-six teams representing 10 different countries will compete. Saturday`s schedule features the pool and elimination rounds for both the men`s and women`s tournaments. The competition will culminate on Sunday with the final matches and the official awards ceremony scheduled for the early afternoon. The wider Snow Volley Festival activities will extend into Easter Monday.
The men`s event has attracted eighteen teams. Twelve are from Italy, joined by six international teams from Switzerland, Türkiye, France, Poland, Belgium, and Uruguay (participating as a wild card).
The French contingent includes Adrien Pédèches and Iskander El-Ghouti, who were victorious in the second tour stop held in Erzurum, Türkiye, alongside Daniel Petrov. For this final event, Pédèches and El-Ghouti will team up with Julien Saint-Vanne and Nicolas Salmon. The Polish team, featuring Piotr Groszek, Michal Matyja, and Mikolaj Kaczmarek, will likely be seeking retribution after their loss to France in the final of the Turkish round. Karole Szczepanik completes the Polish squad.
Italian players Massimo Di Risio, Federico Geromin, and Matteo Camozzi are expected to be strong contenders and a challenge for the international field. They won the inaugural round in Bakuriani, Georgia, at the beginning of March, defeating a Polish team (Matyja, Ciemachowski, Janiak, Groszek).
Other notable Italian players to watch include Alessandro Carucci and the Pizzileo brothers (Filippo, Tommaso, Edoardo), along with Michele Bennato, Matteo Carlon, Enrico Lupatelli, and Gaetano Vespero. Additionally, Thomas Berger, Michael Burgmann, and Peter Seeber, who won the Italian snow volleyball championship in Prato Nevoso last year, will be competing on their home snow.
The women`s tournament features eight teams: three from Italy, two from Hungary, and one each from Türkiye, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Italian champions Sofia Arcaini, Sara Breidenbach, and Anna Dalmazzo are expected to be key challengers to the dominant Turkish team of Erve Celebi, Zeynep Dila, Nursel Yaren Sencel, and Simge Yalcin. The Turkish quartet has already claimed victory in both previous tour stops – Bakuriani (defeating compatriots Simdim, Sayar, Yuceturk, Civan) and Erzurum (overcoming Romania`s Hododi, Miu, Bradatan, Shahzada).
In total, the event, including both the tournament and the broader Snow Volley Festival, is expected to attract over 250 participants, comprising athletes, referees, and staff members, to Prato Nevoso.
Torin Vale