Stam & Schoon are next up

This is part of a series where we recommend EuroBeachVolley 2021 teams to follow based on your viewing preferences. You can see the main guide here. 

Two players whose stock has risen perhaps more than anyone else in the last weeks before the tournament, the young Dutch pairing of Katja Stam & Raïsa Schoon have entered the radar of beach volleyball fans with a brilliant performance in the continental cup followed up by securing a spot in the Olympics for themselves by beating teammates Marleen Van Iersel & Pleun Ypma . While their Olympic tournament didn’t necessarily light the world on fire, they have proven they can hang with the best beach volleyball teams in the world at an early stage in their careers.

There’s good reason to believe that EuroBeachVolley21 could be the next step in their coming out party. While their pool has some tough opponents such as Dabizha/Kholomina, all their games are winnable, and they are a good shot to advance with a strong seed to the round of 24. With the Olympic appearance however, their level of play is no longer a surprise to most teams. They are still not a household beach volleyball name for the average fan though, so you can get ahead of the bandwagon.

Raïsa Schoon is one of the fastest players in Europe, and is able to get herself under balls that would be impossible for most players. Katja Stam has a whip of an arm and great lateral movement at the net. Despite being the youngest team at the Olympics, they left the tournament feeling like they could have done more. Without talent and an attitude like that, the rapid improvement of these Dutch athletes is well worth following.