On the second day of men’s beach volleyball tournament at the European Universities Games the sun and the sand were scorching, and despite the heat the best university volleyball players showed many attractive moves, impressing the spectators. Fortunately, the fans got some refreshments at the Unisport Corner, set right next to the court for that very purpose.
Group F
After their successful opening yesterday, the local players, Silić and Glaudrić, won again today against the University of Ljubljana, represented by Maraz and Masić. A somewhat surprising scene could be seen in the stands, which were dominated by Slovenian fans who heated up even more the already hot atmosphere. The Croatian players started the match with caution, but their aggressiveness gradually increased, and they eventually caught up with the Slovenes who had a five point lead. When both teams reached 19 points the tension reached its peak. However, the Croatian players remained focused and won the first set 21:19. The second set also went to the Croatians 21:10 for the final result of 2: 0 in sets.
‘The European Universities Games 2016 are great fun for the citizens of Zagreb. They are also good for all the athletes because they make new acquaintances and learn more about Croatia’, said happily Ivana Horvat from Zagreb.
‘Fortunately, the stands were in the shade. It’s hot, but we can be happy because the weather is nice. Also, it’s a great idea to have Red Bull near the court. The athletes use it to cool off,’ explained Sebastian Petzel from the University of Wurzburg.
The team from Zagreb played their second game of the day against the players from Vilnius University, taking their second win of the day with 2: 0 21:10, 21:12). The match between the University of Ljubljana and the University of Camerino ended in victory for the Slovenians – 2: 0 (21:15, 21:18), and Camerino suffered their second defeat later in the day, as Vilnius proved more successful, winning 2:0 (21:9, 21:8).
Group G
The longest match was played in the afternoon on the main court as part of Group G. The VU University of Amsterdam defeated Riga Stradins University in three sets (21:18, 21:13, and 15:13). In the other matches of this group, the University of Lodz 1 won with 2: 0 against both the VU University of Amsterdam and the Ankara University. For the Turkish players this day hasn’t been successful since they lost their second game without winning a set – Riga Stradins University won 2: 0 (21:19, 21:16).
Group H
The Portuguese team from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto won all four sets in their two matches. They defeated the Finnish team from the Tampere University of Technology 1 (21:19, 21:14) and then the team from the University of Montpellier (21:16, 21:17). The Finnish team also lost their second game as the athletes from the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Science were better (16:21, 15:21). The fourth match of Group H was played between the University of Montpellier, who lost 2: 1 to the Polish University (15:21, 21:12, and 10:15).
Group I
The team from Split hasn’t managed to win a single set and were defeated twice in a day, first by the University of Linz (12:21, 17:21) and then by the University of Lodz 2 (15:21, 15:21)The players from the University of Linz (12:21, 17:21) and from the University of Lodz 2 (15:21, 15:21). The University of Oslo lost 2:0 to the University of Lodz 2 (21:23, 17:21), but they also lost to the University of Linz (17:21, 10:21).
Group J
The players from the University of Warsaw concluded the group stage with two 2:0 wins. First they won against the Tampere University of Technology (21:10, 21:14) and then against the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology 2 (21:15, 21:13). The team from the University of Mainz also defeated both their opponents. They won against the Finnish team with 2:0 (21:7, 21:8) and the team from Israel, although with a smaller margin (21:15, 21: 9).
