DUISBURG, Germany, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Wilhelm Maximilian Just and Philipp Huster are expecting to pull off a home victory when the FISU World University Games beach volleyball competition gets underway in Duisburg's Sportpark on Monday.

The German pair took the men's title at the first World University Championship Beach Sports event at Rio de Janeiro's Botafogo beach last September, and are hopeful of repeating that success on home sand, with the sport returning to the Universiade for the first time since 2013.

"I have extremely positive memories of the competitions in Rio last year, of course because of our gold medal," said Huster, recalling his journey at the World University Championship.

"Being able to take part in an event of this size in Germany in front of a home crowd will certainly add to this experience."

Huster and Just will face a strong challenge from France's Joadel Genevieve Gardoque and Elouan Chouikh-Barbez, who are ranked 46th in the world and recently took gold at the Pro Tour Futures event in Montpellier, France.

Latvia's world No. 34 Arturs Rinkevics and partner Olivers Bulgacs, who finished fourth at the 2024 U22 European Championships, will also be the title contenders.

On the women's side, one of the favorites will be Alexis Jean Durish, who claimed silver last year in Rio, and Audrey Reagan Konig. The American pair won gold last month at the U23 NORCECA regional event in the Cayman Islands and followed it up with gold at the Futures Pro Tour event in Switzerland.

Also tipped for a podium finish are Australia's Cassandra Dodd and Sarah Burton.

"Most importantly, have fun. We play volleyball because we love it. Sometimes we can get wrapped up in performance and selection, but ultimately we wouldn't be pouring our heart into the sport if we didn't enjoy it," said Dodd. ■