Team Preview

Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour
US$300,000 BPT Elite16 Gstaad
July 3 - 7, 2024

(9) Samuele Cottafava/Paolo Nicolai, Italy

Samuele Cottafava
Italy

Photo: FIVB

Personal Info

Birth Date:

Nov 1, 1998 (26 yrs old)

Home Town:

Modena

Height:

193 cm (6'4")

Weight:

82 kg (180 lb)

Seasons:

Tournaments:

Career Wins:

Career Winnings:

US$164,392.41

Paolo Nicolai
Italy

Photo: FIVB

Personal Info

Birth Date:

Aug 6, 1988 (36 yrs old)

Home Town:

Ortona

Height:

203 cm (6'8")

Weight:

91 kg (200 lb)

Seasons:

Tournaments:

153

Career Wins:

Career FIVB WT Wins:

Career Winnings:

US$701,287.50

Team Career Summary

Tour	Played	1	2	3	4	5	7	9	13	17	25	Money
FIVB	33	1	3	3	2	8	0	10	3	3	0	US$312,250.00

Previous Gstaad Results

Year	Partner - Result	Partner - Result
2010	Did not play	Gianluca Casadei - 25th
2011	Did not play	Matteo Martino - 17th
2012	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 3rd
2013	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 9th
2014	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 17th
2015	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 5th
2016	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 9th
2017	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 17th
2018	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 3rd
2019	Did not play	Daniele Lupo - 4th
2021	Jakob Windisch - 33rd	Did not play
2022	Paolo Nicolai - 17th	Samuele Cottafava - 17th

Recent Results

Tour	Date	Tournament	Seed	Finish	Points	Money
FIVB	6/5-9/2024	Elite16 Ostrava	8	5th	760	US$8,000.00
FIVB	5/22-26/2024	BPT Elite16 Espinho	7	9th	600	US$6,000.00
FIVB	4/17-21/2024	Elite16 Tepic	6	13th	460	US$5,000.00
FIVB	3/5-9/2024	Elite16 Doha	4	5th	760	US$8,000.00
FIVB	12/6-9/2023	BPT Finals Doha 2023	8	5th	0	US$20,000.00
FIVB	11/22-26/2023	Elite16 Joao Pessoa	5	2nd	1100	US$20,000.00
FIVB	10/6-15/2023	Beach Volleyball World Championships	8	9th	800	US$11,000.00
FIVB	9/27-10/1/2023	Elite16 Paris	6	5th	760	US$8,000.00
FIVB	8/16-20/2023	Elite16 Hamburg	13, Q3	2nd	1100	US$20,000.00
FIVB	7/26-30/2023	Elite16 Montréal	Q8	17th	400	US$0.00
FIVB	7/20-23/2023	Challenge Edmonton	13	3rd	720	US$7,000.00
FIVB	7/13-16/2023	Challenge Portugal	7	9th	460	US$2,500.00

Elite16 Gstaad Matches

Date	Bracket	Opponent	Score	Time
Thu, 7/4/2024	Pool A	Esteban Grimalt / Marco Grimalt, Chile (8)	Won 18-21, 21-18, 15-11	0:49
Thu, 7/4/2024	Pool A	David Ahman / Jonatan Hellvig, Sweden (1)	Lost 20-22, 25-23, 12-15	0:54
Fri, 7/5/2024	Pool A	Leo Dillier / Adrian Heidrich, Switzerland (16, Q15)	Won 21-15, 22-20	0:38
Fri, 7/5/2024	Winner 1	Chase Budinger / Miles Evans, United States (7)	Won 21-14, 21-12	0:31
Sat, 7/6/2024	Winner 2	Michal Bryl / Bartosz Losiak, Poland (13, Q1)	Won 21-16, 18-21, 15-10	0:47
Sat, 7/6/2024	Semi-Finals	David Ahman / Jonatan Hellvig, Sweden (1)	Lost 21-19, 17-21, 10-15	0:45
Sun, 7/7/2024	Bronze Medal	Anders Mol / Christian Sorum, Norway (3)	Lost 22-20, 20-22, 26-28	1:09

Head to Head Results
Cottafava/Nicolai trail the series against the field 23-33 (Lead 6 Series, Trail 6 Series, 1 Series Tied)

Date	Tour	Tournament	Round	Winning Team	Seed	Losing Team	Seed	Score	Time
Trail the series against # 1 Ahman/Hellvig, Sweden 1-5
7/6/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Semi-Finals	Ahman/Hellvig	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	19-21, 21-17, 15-10	0:45
7/4/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Pool A	Ahman/Hellvig	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	22-20, 23-25, 15-12	0:54
11/26/23	FIVB	Elite16 Joao Pessoa	Gold Medal	Ahman/Hellvig	2	Cottafava/Nicolai	5	21-11, 21-18	0:32
8/20/23	FIVB	Elite16 Hamburg	Gold Medal	Ahman/Hellvig	5	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	21-16, 22-24, 21-19	1:00
8/17/23	FIVB	Elite16 Hamburg	Pool D	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	Ahman/Hellvig	5	21-18, 16-21, 15-13	0:45
2/3/23	FIVB	Doha Elite16	Pool A	Ahman/Hellvig	8	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	21-19, 21-9	0:28
Trail the series against # 2 Loyola/Wanderley, Brazil 1-6
12/8/23	FIVB	BPT Finals Doha 2023	Winner 1	Loyola/Wanderley	9	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	21-18, 21-19	0:36
9/29/23	FIVB	Elite16 Paris	Pool C	Loyola/Wanderley	3	Cottafava/Nicolai	6	21-19, 15-21, 15-10	0:49
8/11/22	FIVB	Hamburg Elite 16	Pool B	Loyola/Wanderley	2	Cottafava/Nicolai	7	22-20, 21-16	0:40
6/4/22	FIVB	Jurmala Elite 16	Semi-Finals	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q1	Loyola/Wanderley	3	21-19, 22-20	0:40
5/27/22	FIVB	Ostrava Elite 16	Pool D	Loyola/Wanderley	4	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	21-16, 21-17	0:35
4/16/22	FIVB	Itapema Challenge	Winner 2	Loyola/Wanderley	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	13	21-19, 23-21	0:44
4/15/22	FIVB	Itapema Challenge	Pool A	Loyola/Wanderley	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	13	29-31, 21-18, 15-13	1:05
Trail the series against # 3 Mol/Sorum, Norway 1-8
7/7/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Bronze Medal	Mol/Sorum	3	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	20-22, 22-20, 28-26	1:09
10/12/23	FIVB	Beach Volleyball World Championships	Winner 2	Mol/Sorum	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	21-19, 21-17	0:39
8/20/23	FIVB	Elite16 Hamburg	Semi-Finals	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	Mol/Sorum	1	25-23, 19-21, 15-13	0:57
4/27/23	FIVB	Elite16 Uberlândia	Pool A	Mol/Sorum	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	21-19, 21-15	0:33
3/23/23	FIVB	Elite16 Tepic	Pool A	Mol/Sorum	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	21-19, 21-13	0:31
2/2/23	FIVB	Doha Elite16	Pool A	Mol/Sorum	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	21-15, 19-21, 15-12	0:47
1/29/23	FIVB	Beach Pro Tour Finals	Semi-Finals	Mol/Sorum	2	Cottafava/Nicolai	6	21-15, 14-21, 15-10	0:58
1/28/23	FIVB	Beach Pro Tour Finals	Pool B	Mol/Sorum	2	Cottafava/Nicolai	6	23-25, 21-16, 15-12	0:53
3/25/22	FIVB	Rosarito Elite 16	Pool B	Mol/Sorum	2	Cottafava/Nicolai	15, Q7	20-22, 27-25, 15-7	0:54
Trail the series against # 4 Ehlers/Wickler, Germany 1-2
3/8/24	FIVB	Elite16 Doha	Winner 2	Ehlers/Wickler	8	Cottafava/Nicolai	4	21-18, 21-19	0:36
8/18/23	FIVB	Elite16 Hamburg	Pool D	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	Ehlers/Wickler	4	27-25, 21-19	0:42
4/29/23	FIVB	Elite16 Uberlândia	Winner 1	Ehlers/Wickler	6	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	24-22, 21-17	0:37
Trail the series against # 5 Goncalves/Mariano, Brazil 0-2
11/23/23	FIVB	Elite16 Joao Pessoa	Pool D	Goncalves/Mariano	4	Cottafava/Nicolai	5	23-21, 24-22	0:44
5/31/23	FIVB	Elite16 Ostrava	Qualifier 2	Goncalves/Mariano	15, Q10	Cottafava/Nicolai	Q2	21-19, 14-21, 15-12	0:49
Lead the series against # 6 Benesh/Partain, United States 2-1
6/8/24	FIVB	Elite16 Ostrava	Winner 2	Benesh/Partain	10	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	21-16, 17-21, 15-11	0:47
12/8/23	FIVB	BPT Finals Doha 2023	Pool A	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	Benesh/Partain	5	21-17, 21-14	0:33
9/30/23	FIVB	Elite16 Paris	Winner 1	Cottafava/Nicolai	6	Benesh/Partain	1	21-17, 21-16	0:35
Lead the series against # 7 Budinger/Evans, United States 3-0
7/5/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Winner 1	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	Budinger/Evans	7	21-14, 21-12	0:31
3/7/24	FIVB	Elite16 Doha	Pool D	Cottafava/Nicolai	4	Budinger/Evans	13, Q3	21-19, 21-19	0:38
6/16/23	FIVB	Challenge Jurmala	Pool C	Cottafava/Nicolai	3	Budinger/Evans	10	17-21, 21-17, 15-10	0:46
Lead the series against # 8 Grimalt/Grimalt, Chile 3-0
7/4/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Pool A	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	Grimalt/Grimalt	8	18-21, 21-18, 15-11	0:49
10/2/22	FIVB	Paris Elite 16	Bronze Medal	Cottafava/Nicolai	3	Grimalt/Grimalt	7	21-16, 21-16	0:38
5/7/22	FIVB	Doha Challenge	Winner 2	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	Grimalt/Grimalt	15, Q2	21-14, 21-18	0:35
Lead the series against # 10 Tijan/Younousse, Qatar 4-3
5/24/24	FIVB	BPT Elite16 Espinho	Pool B	Cottafava/Nicolai	7	Tijan/Younousse	10	21-19, 19-21, 15-8	0:52
3/6/24	FIVB	Elite16 Doha	Pool D	Cottafava/Nicolai	4	Tijan/Younousse	12	17-21, 21-17, 15-8	0:48
12/6/23	FIVB	BPT Finals Doha 2023	Pool A	Tijan/Younousse	1	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	21-19, 21-19	0:38
11/23/23	FIVB	Elite16 Joao Pessoa	Pool D	Tijan/Younousse	13, Q1	Cottafava/Nicolai	5	21-13, 16-21, 15-13	0:52
3/24/23	FIVB	Elite16 Tepic	Pool A	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	Tijan/Younousse	8	21-18, 21-12	0:31
9/30/22	FIVB	Paris Elite 16	Pool C	Tijan/Younousse	6	Cottafava/Nicolai	3	21-18, 26-24	0:42
6/5/22	FIVB	Jurmala Elite 16	Gold Medal	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q1	Tijan/Younousse	1	16-21, 27-25, 15-12	0:56
Lead the series against # 11 Pfretzschner/Winter, Germany 1-0
7/22/23	FIVB	Challenge Edmonton	Winner 1	Cottafava/Nicolai	13	Pfretzschner/Winter	23, Q23	21-13, 21-18	0:38
Trail the series against # 13, Q1 Bryl/Losiak, Poland 3-4
7/6/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Winner 2	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	Bryl/Losiak	13, Q1	21-16, 18-21, 15-10	0:47
5/25/24	FIVB	BPT Elite16 Espinho	Winner 1	Bryl/Losiak	11	Cottafava/Nicolai	7	22-20, 21-15	0:40
3/6/24	FIVB	Elite16 Doha	Pool D	Cottafava/Nicolai	4	Bryl/Losiak	5	16-21, 21-19, 15-12	0:55
12/7/23	FIVB	BPT Finals Doha 2023	Pool A	Bryl/Losiak	10	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	12-21, 21-19, 15-13	0:48
8/11/22	FIVB	Hamburg Elite 16	Pool B	Cottafava/Nicolai	7	Bryl/Losiak	15, Q3	24-22, 21-18	0:38
5/26/22	FIVB	Ostrava Elite 16	Pool D	Bryl/Losiak	5	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	21-13, 18-21, 23-21	0:56
5/8/22	FIVB	Doha Challenge	Gold Medal	Bryl/Losiak	2	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	21-18, 21-15	0:35
Series tied with # 14, Q3 Gavira/Herrera, Spain 2-2
4/18/24	FIVB	Elite16 Tepic	Pool C	Gavira/Herrera	14, Q2	Cottafava/Nicolai	6	18-21, 21-19, 15-12	0:49
10/9/23	FIVB	Beach Volleyball World Championships	Pool H	Gavira/Herrera	17	Cottafava/Nicolai	8	21-15, 21-18	0:38
8/19/23	FIVB	Elite16 Hamburg	Winner 2	Cottafava/Nicolai	13, Q3	Gavira/Herrera	15, Q9	16-21, 21-13, 15-10	0:43
7/21/23	FIVB	Challenge Edmonton	Pool A	Cottafava/Nicolai	13	Gavira/Herrera	12	25-23, 19-21, 16-14	1:01
Lead the series against # 16, Q15 Dillier/Heidrich, Switzerland 1-0
7/5/24	FIVB	Elite16 Gstaad	Pool A	Cottafava/Nicolai	9	Dillier/Heidrich	16, Q15	21-15, 22-20	0:38