Swieqi Phoenix Volleyball has won the 27th Edition of the Eotvos Cup, held recently in Debrecen, Hungary.
The Eotvos Cup is a leading junior volleyball competition open to major nurseries from all over Eastern Europe.
In all, 28 U-22 teams took part in this year’s edition, with participants hailing from Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania, Finland and Malta.
This is the fifth time that Swieqi Phoenix Volleyball has been invited to participate in this prestigious competition, with the club having already placed once in 10th place, twice in ninth place, and once in fifth place in 2022.
The Swieqi Phoenix team were unbeaten throughout the three days of the tournament, dropping only one set in six matches.
In the first round of the competition, Swieqi Phoenix Volleyball beat Hungarian team DEAC, Polish team UKS San Lesko, and Slovakian team SK Elba Presov, 2-0.
In the quarter-finals, the Maltese team got the better of OK KI 0230 Kikinda of Serbia, winning 2-1, while in the semi-final stage they beat Szolnoki Sportcentrum of Hungary 2-0.
In the final, Swieqi Phoenix overcame the challenge of renowned Hungarian club MTK Budapest, 2-0.
Apart from winning the Eotvos Cup, two Swieqi Phoenix players received individual recognition from the Cup organisers.
Tamara Kenkovski was chosen as ‘best spiker’ of the tournament, while Monica Zammit Munro was selected to form part of the competition’s ‘dream team’.
Swieqi Phoenix Volleyball president Orlando Bonnici praised the players and coaches for their achievement in winning this prestigious competition.
“The team’s victory in Debrecen is the result of the technical progress made by the club since its inception,” he said.
“When we took part in the Eotvos Cup in 2016, we could hardly have imagined that seven years later, we would be lifting that coveted trophy.”
Bonnici went on to thank the organisers of the event for their professionalism, and highlighted the importance of the support of the club’s sponsors, namely NIUM, Planit Travel Services, EY Malta, Dakar Software Systems and Bio Aqua Garden – Malta Aquaponics System.
