Slovakian athletes Lubos Nemec and Adrian Petruf made history by winning their country's first-ever gold medal on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. The duo triumphed at the 2025 Nuvali Beach Volleyball Futures held in the Philippines.
Despite entering the tournament as the third seed, Nemec and Petruf dominated the competition, not dropping a single set until the final. In the gold medal match, they edged out Israel’s Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov in a thrilling three-set clash with scores of 21-15, 18-21, and 19-17.
The Israeli team, previously undefeated and coming off a gold in Songkhla, settled for silver in Nuvali. Latvia's Olivers Bulgacs and Markuss Graudins took bronze after battling through the qualification rounds and defeating Greece’s Dimitrios Chatzinikolaou and Stavros Ntallas in a hard-fought 2-1 match.
Women's Tournament
In the women’s bracket, New Zealand’s Shaunna Polley and Olivia MacDonald secured their first gold as a team. They maintained strong form throughout, winning five matches and dropping just one set. They clinched the title by defeating Japan’s Sakura Ito and Mayu Sawame in straight sets (21-18, 21-14).
Japan’s Ito and Sawame celebrated a career milestone with their first shared podium finish. Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite claimed bronze after a three-set win over Romania’s Beata Vaida and Francesca Alupei.
Tournament Highlights
The 2025 Nuvali Beach Volleyball Futures featured:
- 24 men's teams
- 24 women's teams
- Representation from 19 countries
These achievements mark another milestone in the tournament's rise as a key part of the Beach Pro Tour calendar. The tour now continues with events in Cervia, Italy, and Madrid, Spain later this week.
For more details, visit the official article on Volleyball World.
