Lück sisters secure silver at Zone Six BVB Tour

Namibia’s beach volleyball sensations Pia and Romy Lück impressed at the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone Six Beach Volleyball Tour by securing a silver medal.The event’s third leg was recently held at Camps Bay Beach, South Africa, attracting 31 players in the men’s and women’s sections from the host country, alongside Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, competing for top honours.Namibia fielded five teams comprising the Lück sisters, Rosi Hennes and Almut Hoffmann, and Maike van Doorn and Carmen Curschmann in the women’s section.The men’s section featured two teams, comprising debutants Daniel Seidler and Felix Margraf, alongside the duo of Jan Sack and Luca Kesselmann.The Namibian contingent was also joined by International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)-certified beach volleyball referees Ndina Kasheeta and Simon Nakapanda, who officiated at the African showpiece.Players at the event had to brave “strong, unpredictable coastal winds” that tested their adaptability, tactical awareness and endurance.The silver medallists stormed through the group stages and went on to win 2-1 in the quarter-finals, repeating the same score margin against Lesotho in the semi-finals. The final saw them face strong Mozambique opposition, losing 2-0 to settle for silver.‘We have big dreams’Reflecting on the achievement, the Lück sisters admitted their disbelief.“I still can’t believe we took home a silver medal from the tournament. It was a year of immense sacrifice and travel, but it was all worth it when I got to play alongside my sister [Romy],” said Pia.“What made it even more special was that she came all the way from Germany to team up with me,” she added.Romy echoed her sentiment: “We’re incredibly close. To share this experience with her was truly unforgettable. I’m thrilled that our hard work paid off. The silver medal is a huge confidence boost.”Recounting their ninth-place finish at the Continental U21 Beach Volleyball Championships in Morocco in July, where they had limited preparation time, she said they have since had time to put in the work.“I’m so proud of how far we’ve come, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us. We have big dreams!”The rest of the Namibian players did not make it to the podium. Hennes and Hoffmann finished seventh out of 12 in the women’s section, while Van Doorn and Curschmann placed tenth.In the men’s section, Sack and Kesselmann finished 14th out of 19, while Seidler and Margraf are still awaiting final confirmation of their placement from the CAVB.Namibia lacks hosting capacityThe event’s first and second legs were held in Maputo, Mozambique, in May and August, respectively. The fourth and final leg will return to Maputo from 6 to 10 November.Although it is customary for all ten CAVB member countries to host a leg in the series, Namibia and several others lack the financial capacity to do so.Namibia Volleyball Federation (NVF) yesterday confirmed that hosting a single leg could cost over N$300 000, including expenses for infrastructure, accommodation and officiating support.NVF president Tobias Mwatelulo said they are actively exploring partnerships and sponsorship opportunities to make hosting future legs possible.“We have also reached out to the sports ministry to assist with logistics so we can field more beach volleyball teams for the fourth leg in Maputo next month,” he remarked.Mwatelulo added that the federation is working towards inclusivity in beach volleyball, especially for players from different backgrounds and less privileged communities.“The players that represented the country in Cape Town were self-funded, and we are looking to support those who have the talent but lack the means to compete,” he said.– mariud@nsh.com.na

Lück sisters secure silver at Zone Six BVB Tour

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-10-23

Please login to leave a comment

Lück sisters secure silver at Zone Six BVB Tour

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-10-23

Please login to leave a comment

Login