A shining moment for Greece

Antalya, Turkey, May 15, 2015 – While the Finnish women’s team of Taru Lahti and Riikka Lehtonen were making news as first-time FIVB World Tour medal winners for their northern European country on the FIVB World Tour, Georgios Kotsilianos and Nikos Zoupanis from southern Europe were quietly accomplishing something for the first-time for Greece.

Before and after Lahti and Lehtonen had captured a silver medal in the women’s US$150,000 Antalya Open competition, Kotsilianos and Zoupanis were winning matches over pairs from Canada and Germany to become the first Greek men’s team to advance to a FIVB World Tour semi-final since the start of internationally-sanctioned Beach Volleyball competition in 1987.

TOP GREEK MEN’S TEAM EVER

The most successful men’s Beach Volleyball pair from Greece on the FIVB World Tour, Kotsilianos and Zoupanis had previously posted their country’s best finishes at international circuit stops in China (twice at Xiamen 2013 and 2014) and South Africa (Mangaung 2014).  The Antalya Open is the 37th FIVB event for the Greeks, who are only playing in their 11th world tour Main Draw.

Saturday’s second win for the 25th-seeded Kotsilianos and Zoupanis was their first two-set victory of the competition after the Greeks had played five-straight three-set matches in the Antalya Open highlighted by two upset wins Thursday in pool play over higher-seeded pairs from Turkey and Germany.

However, the Greeks had to work in “overtime” in both sets to advance to the Antalya Open “final four” with a 24-20, 24-22 win in 42 minutes over ninth-seeded Jonathan Erdmann of Kay Matysik of Germany.  Earlier Saturday, Kotsilianos and Zoupanis had posted a 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 16-14) victory in 51 minutes over 10th-seeded Josh Binstock and Sam Schachter of Canada.

REMATCH

Markus …

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