Copra Elior PIACENZA grabs gold at the 2013 CEV Challenge Cup - Volleyball News

The men's volleyball team of Copra Elior PIACENZA from Italy did a wonderful job in the final match of the 2013 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup on Sunday. They downed the arch rival Ural UFA in straight sets (25-22, 25-18, and 25-16) and seized the European Trophy.

 

Copra Elior PIACENZA  had an amazing run throughout the tournament. The team appeared in 12 matches and remained undefeated. Zlatanov played an instrumental role in team's success. He chipped in match-high 16 points in the final showdown.

Previously, the club had the honour of winning the Top Teams Cup back in 2006.

 

Congrats to the Copra Elior PIACENZA . :)

Puerto Rican pair secures gold at the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament

The dynamic duo of Roberto “Rafu” Rodriguez and Eric Haddock from Puerto Rico put up an excellent show of beach volleyball in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands on Sunday.

The Puerto Rican tandem seized the gold medal victory after beating Todd Rogers and Ryan Doherty of US. They posted 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) and settled for the top position. The Americans fought bravely, but ended up as the runner-up team.

Final day of the tournament attracted great number of beach volleyball fans at the Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

Rodriguez seemed totally delighted about their amazing win against a tough team. He expressed his emotions in the following manner: “I am really elated about winning against one of the greats of all-time like Todd (Rogers). This is one of the best tournaments and the ambiance really motivates me.”

Mexico wins the U-20 Women’s Pan American Cup – Volleyball News

Women’s National U-20 Volleyball Team from Mexico made it to the top at the Pan American Cup, which completed its run from March 16-23 in Cuba.

The final showdown of the tournament took place on Saturday, while teams from Mexico and Dominican Republic came into a head-to-head battle. Mexican musketeers managed to dismiss the opposite side in a four-set affair. They dropped only one set and won the match by taking three frames. The match was closed with final score of 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 14-25, 25-15). 

Coliseo de Ciudad Deportiva in Havana, Cuba provided the backdrop for the match.

Mexican victory was very much credited to Alejandra Isiordia, who helped the team with match-high 26 points.  Brayelin Martinez fought for Dominican Republic and ended up with 25 points.

The head coach of Team Mexico Estanislado Vachino was totally delighted about the overall performance of his girls. He stated: “My team was not prepared to reach the finals but played with a lot of heart. Now we have to enjoy the victory and continue our preparation towards the world championship.”

His counterpart Wagner Pacheco also expressed his thoughts about the match. “The cup is in the hands of the team that deserved it the most, they knew how to play against each team of its own pool neutralized my players and is a great champion,” said the coach.

An overview of 2012 SWATCH FIVB Women’s World Tour – Beach Volleyball

In the running season, women’s first event of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour, took place in Brasilia, Brazil. The season opening tournament had an amazing run from April 15-20. Aspiring female beach volleyball tandems from all across the globe headed for Brazil and showcased their skilful play.

The tournament started off with the Country Quota Playoffs. The second stage of the tournament featured Qualification matches, while the successful teams advanced to the 32-team Main Draw. Next up, the quarter-finals and final four rounds took centre stage. The pairing of Chen Xue and Zhang Xi staged a consistent performance and paved their way to the final four. They clashed with top rival Talita Antunes and Maria Antonelli in the final showdown of the tournament. The home duo had a lot of support from local fans, but Chinese pair sparked on the scene and marched away with gold-medal victory.
Italy’s Cicolari–Menegatti finished third at the Brasilia Open Women’s Beach Volleyball Tournament.

The SWATCH FIVB World Tour made its second stop in Sanya, China. Talita-Antonelli, who lost the Brasilia Open title put up valiant effort and managed to secure the gold in China. Chinese Xue-Zhang lost the semi-final match and ended up with bronze. However, two Brazilian duos advanced to the final match and competed for gold. Talita-Antonelli overpowered compatriots Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca in the final encounter and tallied a gold medal win.

Third tournament of the 2012 SWATCH FIVB World Tour was again hosted by China. The Shanghai Grand Slam started off on April 30 and concluded on May 5.

The dynamic Chinese pair Xue-Zhang delighted the home fans with wonderful feats throughout the tournament. Eventually, they got their hands on the first Grand Slam title of the season. They defeated their conventional rivals Brazil’s Talita-Antonelli. Likewise, Juliana-Larissa secured the bronze.
In the next run, the Beijing Grand Slam got the green light and provided an excellent opportunity for Brazilian Juliana-Larissa to take the No1 spot in the competition. They defeated Italy’s Cicolari–Menegatti. Third spot was secured by Dutch Keizer–van Iersel.

Moscow hosted the fifth tournament of the 2012 SWATCH FIVB World Tour. Xue-Zhang took away the gold, while American Walsh-Treanor and Brazil’s Juliana-Larissa finished second and third, respectively.
Moscow Grand Slam
was followed by Rome Grand Slam from June 12-17. Switzerland’s Kuhn–Zumkehr came on top and seized the title trophy by edging out German Sara Gollar and Lara Ludwig. American Jennifer Kessy and April Ross finished third in the tournament.