For Austria’s beach volleyball players, the Nations Cup in Vienna ended bitterly with two fourth places. Like the day before the red-white-red women against Latvia, the ÖVV men lost 1:2 to the Netherlands in the bronze duel yesterday.
Martin Ermacora/Moritz Pristauz lost 8:15 in the golden set against Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen. At the start, the ÖVV duo had defeated Christian Varenhorst/Steven van de Velde 2-0, while Robin Seidl/Philipp Waller lost to Brouwer/Meeuwsen 0-2.
The ex-world champions became the clear match winners at this premiere of a European team championship, after they had to accept a bitter 2-1 defeat against Norway the day before in a duel for a place in the final. “We’re sorry that we ruined the party at the stadium a bit,” said Meeuwsen, and Brouwer added: “When we play like this, it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the net.” Ermacora struggled with the sheet metal rank: “It hurts, they were ripped off, risked brutally, they realized that.”
But the Norwegian men were celebrated yesterday in Vienna. Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, Olympic and world champions, defeated Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava in the final in the decisive golden set 15:8, thus securing their premiere title in this competition format.
The women’s medals went to Switzerland, Germany and Latvia in that order on Saturday in the arena at Vienna’s Heumarkt.
Victory and defeat in test
Austria’s women’s volleyball team played two friendlies against Estonia as a test for the European Championship qualification that begins on August 20th. They lost 3-1 in Paide on Friday, but then prevailed 3-0 on Saturday. Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are now waiting as opponents in the European Championship qualifier.
Source: Nachrichten
