The Austrian women's beach volleyball team has won the Nations Cup tournament in Vilnius, advancing to the final phase of the competition – and increasing the chances for an Olympic ticket for their home country.
The red-white-red team already put up a good fight on Saturday and, after a win against Romania, also managed an impressive 2-0 victory against hosts Lithuania. In the first semi-final, Schützenhöfer/Plesiutschnig defeated the Lithuanians Dumbauskaite/Vasiliauskaite in two sets (21-14, 21-16). The Klingers also triumphed over Paulikiene/Raupelyte, currently ranked 21st in the world, 2-0 (21-16 and 22-20).
On Sunday, the Austrian women celebrated another 2-0 victory, this time against Slovenia. After being beaten 1-2 in the opening match on Friday, they got their revenge in the final. Schützenhöfer/Plesiutschnig remained undefeated throughout the tournament and won the decisive match against Marolt/Javornik 2-0 (21-13, 21-12). The Klingers secured the overall victory with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-15) win against Kotnik/Lovsin, thus securing the Austrians' participation in the final tournament in Jurmala from June 13 to 16.
There are 24 starting spots per gender available for the Olympic beach volleyball tournament. Of these, 17 will be allocated via the world rankings, one spot each will go to the host country France and the world champions, and five spots will be distributed via the Continental or Nations Cup - one of which will be in Jurmala for Europe. A maximum of two teams per nation and gender are allowed to compete at the Olympic Games.
