Latvian student beach volleyball pairs reach semifinals at EUSA Games
Latvia University's women's and Riga Stradins University's men's beach volleyball pairs secured their places in the semifinals of the European Universities Games on Friday in Italy.
The remaining semifinalists in the beach volleyball tournament at the European Universities Games were decided on Friday morning in Italy's Salerno province. Both Latvian pairs made the most of the double-elimination format, keeping their hopes alive with wins in the lower bracket.
The University of Latvia duo of Anija Ozoliņa and Vanesa Grosberga started the day in the round of 16 of the lower bracket against Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands. After losing the first set 12:21, they turned the match around by taking the second set 21:10 and the decisive third set 15:8.
Less than three hours later, the pair faced the University of Vienna in the lower-bracket quarterfinal. This time Ozoliņa and Grosberga controlled the match from the start, winning 21:13 and 21:10 to book a semifinal spot. Their semifinal is scheduled for 18:20 Latvian time against the University of Ljubljana from Slovenia, the team that beat them in the round of 16, giving the Latvians a chance for revenge.
In the men's draw, Riga Stradins University's Gustavs Auziņš and Atvars Ozoliņš met the University of Vienna in the lower-bracket quarterfinal. They needed only two sets, winning the first 21:13 and the second 28:26 after a tight finish. RSU will play their semifinal at 19:10 Latvian time against the University of Latvia men's pair Ernests Puškundzis and Olivers Bulgačs, who had already advanced to the semifinals the previous evening by beating a Czech team.
