Lausanne, Switzerland, December 16, 2015 - FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships The Netherlands 2015 silver medallists Christiaan Varenhorst and Reinder Nummerdor have won the Netherlands Olympic Committee Team of the Year award.
The pair received the coveted award at the
NOC*NSF Sports Gala in Amsterdam on Tuesday. As the top seeds in this year's World Championships, Nummerdor and Varenhorst played their first full-season together on the FIVB World Tour in 2015 after the Dutch pair ended the 2014 campaign with a Grand Slam title in Brazil (São Paulo) and an Open crown in South Africa (Mangaung).
A two-team Beach Olympian (2008 and 2012), Nummerdor had never finished higher than 17th in his previous four World Championship appearances with Richard Schuill. Nummerdor, who also competed in two indoor Olympic competitions for the Netherlands, has now played his 10th season on the FIVB World Tour.
Varenhorst started playing on the FIVB World Tour in 2009 and was named the top rookie in 2012 during his first full-season on the international circuit. In addition to the two FIVB gold medals with Nummerdor, Varenhorst placed fourth in 2013 (Xiamen) and third in 2014 (Fuzhou) with Jon Stiekema. Varenhorst, who claimed the silver medal at the 2008 U21 World Championships with Alexander Brouwer, was making his second World Championship appearance.
It is the second time a beach volleyball team wins the award after Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen in 2013.