Esmée & Zoé target EuroBeachVolley gold and historic feat

On Friday night in Arnhem, Esmée Böbner and Zoé Vergé-Dépré booked their first ever ticket to the EuroBeachVolley last four. The Swiss duo eliminated the home favourites and the highest-ranked team in this tournament Raisa Schoon and Katja Stam. Esmée and Zoé admit that they aim high in the Netherlands as they want to get gold. However any medal claimed by this duo will be a historic feat as it never happened before that two sisters - without playing together as a team - win the EuroBeachVolley medals and it might be a case of Zoé, who has a chance to follow in her older sister Anouk footsteps.

Esmée & Zoé entered the court in Arnhem with no fear, facing the world #5 team and local favourites Raisa Schoon and Katja Stam, defeating them in straight sets (21-19, 21-18). Thus, for the first time they made it to the EuroBeachVolley semifinals.

"We were looking for our game the whole week, and now we could finally play it and it was really nice to play. Now we're in the semifinals, we're going for a medal, and it's incredible" - said after the match Esmée Böbner.

The year 2024 has been a breakpoint for this duo of 24-year-old Swiss players, who this year grabbed their first gold at Beach Pro Tour - at Challenge event in Guadalajara and first medal at Elite16 event in Brasilia. In the game against Schoon/Stam they showed a fine Volleyball and nerves of steel.

"We really wanted to push in the serve as always, but it was very important, so they would have struggled with their build up. We made it easier for us in block-defense and we really had to keep our side-up going. I think we just maintained calm even when the pressure was high, and that was working out for us" - explained Zoé Vergé-Dépré.

They came to the Netherlands almost straight from Paris 2024 where they made their Olympic debut, finishing 5th after losing in tie-break to Mariafe/Clancy in the quarterfinals. 

"It was hard to refocus after Paris, because all the time you have this goal in your head - the Olympics - and you go for it, everything you do is for this one gold. And now that it's done, it was hard to refocus on something else, but we have had a high aim to get the medal here, so we knew we needed to somehow get through this struggle, and to find our game again. And I think we did it today" - admitted Esmée Böbner.

Zoé Vergé-Dépré confirmed that their goal is clear, however she also can seize the opportunity to make her family a first-ever to have two members claiming EuroBeachVolley medal playing separately. Back in 2020 her older sister Anouk triumphed at EuroBeachVolley and Zoé has a chance to repeat her success.

"Our goal is definitely to get a medal and we want the gold medal and it will be really cool to achieve this" - said Zoé.

It's worth mentioning that Anouk with her partner Joana Mader were just a step from the last four in the Netherlands, but eventually they lost in the quarterfinals. 

On Saturday in the semifinals in The Hague, Esmée Böbner and Zoé Vergé-Dépré will face Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann.