Spain rules in the CEV European Continental Beach Volleyball Cup
The CEV European Continental Beach Volleyball Cup was held in Spain on the weekend. The double-gender beach volleyball event started out on Saturday, October 16 and staged final matches on Sunday, 17th August 2010 at Las Palmas de Gran, Canaria,
Spain. Teams from Pool C including Spain, Iceland, Italy and Sweden embarked on the scene for two-day event. The Continental Cup is a sub-zonal phase, which is played in a country vs. Country best-of-five format. Each country participates with two teams per
gender but men’s and women’s competitions are held separately. The winners of the Sub-Zonal Phase are promoted to the Zonal Phase.
Following the set-pattern of Confederation European de Volleyball (CEV), a total of 8 women and men’s pair gathered in Spain and unfolded their skill-set in front of beach volleyball fans. The men’s section was captured by home-team and a team from Iceland
on the first-day. The Continental Beach Volleyball Cup was scheduled to stage semi-final matches on the first-day of the tournament, while the final showdown was played on second day.
Pre-match Comments
In the recent memory, the Spanish ace, Pablo Herrera expressed his hope and determination about the Sub-Zonal Tournament. He said,
“This first phase is of major importance because you can get a better draw for the next round where only the first ranked team will advance to the final. So it will be important to win the privilege to play at home and feel the support from the stands which
is always important and an additional help”. Herrera kept his word and performed in an exquisite way to clinch victory in the first semi-final against Iceland.
First Semi-final 16.10.10
In the first semi-final, Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira of Spain collided with Sigurosson and Hlöversson of Iceland. The Spaniards proved their endeavour and posted 2-0(21-5 and 21-3) victory over Icelanders. The home-side demonstrated a rocking performance
and completely took away the game to a new level. Icelanders had no chance to show their talent in front of internationally renowned heavy Spanish duo.
Herrera/Gavira started out really well. They spent a little time to diagnose the mood of game in beginning and then geared up to put their magic in it. Herrera and Gavira developed good timing to float the ball in air and smash it in the right spots. They
hit the ball from different angles and influenced the rival side. Sigurosson and Hloversson couldn’t put up with the fire-balls of Spanish duo and failed to stop their rising score. Herrera showed great game and perfectly complimented with his partner. They
had a very good defence and hitting was worth-admiring. They put pressure on Icelanders and hindered their performance with a delivery of speed-bombs.
Iceland’s pair was in irresistible position; they could only score 5 points and acknowledged defeat in the first set. Spain ended the first set with a margin of 16 points at 21-5.
The humiliating run in the first set created more trouble for the Icelanders in second set. Herrera/Gavira were all over the scene with the display of their expertises. The Spaniards played in an easy mood but received huge applause from the spectators.
They built a lead in early minutes of the game and further enhanced their score. Iceland’s team was down with too many ball-handling errors. Their shots lacked power and they failed to pose any threat to the opponents.
The score quickly soared up with great gap of points. Spain was way ahead than Iceland in points’ run. They touched the finish line, while Iceland could only bag 3 points in the whole set. Spain achieved the well deserved victory by posting 21-3 in the first
semi-final of CEV European Continental Tournament.
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