First-ever Greek Snow Volleyball champions crowned in Kalavrita
Kalavrita, Greece, February 26, 2018. Georgios Kotsilianos/Panagiotis Ioannidis and Liza Triantafillidi/Pigi Anna Metheniti are the winners of the first-ever Greek Snow Volleyball national championship that took place in Kalavrita this past weekend. Both teams will travel to Wagrain-Kleinarl and Flachau, Austria to participate in the inaugural CEV Snow Volleyball European Championship from March 23 to 25, 2018.
“I am very happy with our success at the first Snow Volleyball tournament ever held in Greece. In Austria, the games will be much harder but my teammate Panagiotis and I will give our best to represent Greece at the highest level,” said the 4-time Greek Beach Volleyball national champion, Georgios Kotsilianos.
“I am excited. As soon as I saw there was a net on the snow, I simply wanted to take to the court and play. My teammate Pigi Anna and I are thrilled to participate in the European Championship in Austria and we will go there to give our best while competing with the top teams in Europe,” commented Liza Triantafillidi, daughter of Greek Volleyball and Beach Volleyball legend, Michalis Triantafillidis.
After the event was over, the Mayor of Kalavrita, Georgios Lazouras was happy that everything went according to plan. “We are really happy that we hosted in our city the first-ever Snow Volleyball tournament held in Greece. It was a great success and everyone enjoyed their stay in Kalavrita.”
Exhibition games with Greek legends
Before the tournament reached its climax, the organisers delivered some exhibition games with participation of former Greek Volleyball and Beach Volleyball champions.
Former European Beach Volleyball champion Vassou Karadassiou with Greek Volleyball legend Vasileios Kournetas as teammate, and Greek former Beach Volley champions Polyxeni Kitsou and Pavlos Beligratis played against teams representing OPAP, the main sponsor of the tournament.
In the beginning, Greek celebrities played against each other, and despite the fact it was only an exhibition game, there were high level of highlights. In the exhibition game they participated famous journalists like Eva Antonopoulou, Christina Vrachali, Despina Kampouri and Eva Tsiorlida, with the silver Olympic champion in rowing Dimitris Mougios, volleyball setter Vasilis Kournetas and beach volley champion Giorgos Koulieris.
In the beginning, Greek celebrities played against each other, and despite the fact it was only an exhibition game, there were high level of highlights. In the exhibition game they participated famous journalists like Eva Antonopoulou, Christina Vrachali, Despina Kampouri and Eva Tsiorlida, with the silver Olympic champion in rowing Dimitris Mougios, volleyball setter Vasilis Kournetas and beach volley champion Giorgos Koulieris.
