Following his battle with cancer, Alex Horst finds a new companion.
Following the sudden illness of Laurenz Leitner, Alex Horst has sought a new block partner for the upcoming 2025 beach volleyball season. The Austrian duo will now collaborate with Paul Pascariuc after consultation with coach Martin Olejnak.
The team had a trial run at the end of 2024 at the Challenge Event in Nuvali, Philippines, where they advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating teams such as Schachter/Picket (CAN) and Dressler/Berger (AUT). Their national tour debut will take place from May 1-4 in Neusiedl, alongside all win2day beach national teams. Subsequently, they will participate at the FIVB Challenge Event in Xiamen (CHN) mid-May.
Alex Horst expressed his well-wishes for Laurenz's speedy recovery while expressing gratitude towards the Austrian Volleyball Association for providing him with a replacement blocker in Paul Pascariuc. "I am grateful to compete with Paul Pascariuc both nationally and internationally," he said.
Paul Pascariuc, too, expressed excitement over the opportunity. "The initial training sessions with Alex have gone well," he said. "From Nuvali, I know how competitive he is. I am happy to accept this opportunity and look forward to hitting the court with Alex again."
According to available data, Pascariuc and Horst are regularly ranked among the top Austrian beach volleyball teams, keeping around 1,580 ranking points prior to the Xiamen Challenge, which placed them among the seeded pairs in the tournament. Their partnership is characterized by competitive play and recurrent appearances in high-level European and international tournaments, even though specific results from earlier events are not provided in the available sources.
The new duo starts their World Beach Pro Tour campaign at the Xiamen Challenge, where they commenced their season with a strong group stage performance, defeating Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier with scores of 21:14, 21:19.
The upcoming 2025 beach volleyball season will see Alex Horst and Paul Pascariuc seeking profit on the court, collaborating after Laurenz Leitner's illness. Showcasing their sportsmanship earlier at the Challenge Event in Nuvali, they advanced to the quarterfinals and demonstrated competitive play.
