Jacob Holting-Nilsson is the Beach Pro Tour Most Improved Player
Honorable Mention
- Elmer Andersson, Sweden
- Calvin Aye, France
- Teo Rotar, France
Yes, Jacob Holting-Nilsson and Elmer Andersson won two straight Challenge events, in Chennai, India, and Nuvali, Philippines, to end the 2024 Beach Pro Tour season. But it was still fair to wonder: Did they have what it took to beat Elite teams in the summer, and not watered-down fields in Asia at the end of the year?
For seven months, the answer was, mostly, no.
In their first five Challenge and Elite events of the season, Holting-Nilsson and Andersson struggled, posting just one finish in the top-13. They dropped to as low as the 15 seed in Challenge events — and finished worse than their seed, swallowing a 17th in Stare Jablonki, Poland.
All it takes, however, is a single event, one galvanizing run to ignite one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory. That came in Gstaad, when Andersson and Holting-Nilsson vaulted from the reserve list to the finals and used the remainder of the season as a convincing case to be considered the best team in beach volleyball — which they became, as voted by their peers.
What was it? It takes two in this sport, and Andersson was tremendous, finishing No. 2 in the voting for Most Improved. But no player improved at a quicker rate than Holting-Nilsson, who ascended the ranks as one of the most formidable blockers not named Anders Mol, became the best option player on the planet, one of the most feared offensive players, period, and has taken the subjective title of Best Setter. It was Holting-Nilsson who was sensational during a World Championships finals in which he was the best player on the court, even in a match he lost.
And it is Jacob Holting-Nilsson who was voted as the Most Improved Player of 2025.
2023 Most Improved: Miles Partain
2024 Most Improved: Nils Ehlers
