Belgium and the Netherlands claim wins in opening matches of #EuroVolleyU18M qualifier in Sigulda

The U18 men’s national teams of the Netherlands and Belgium opened their campaigns in the 2nd Round qualifier – Pool D with victories on Friday in Sigulda, as they began their quest for a place in the final round of this year’s European Championship in this age category. 

In the first match of the day, Ukraine failed to hold on to a two-set lead and eventually lost 2-3 (25-15, 25-17, 26-28, 15-25, 11-15) to Belgium. Ukraine convincingly won the first two sets, but the third was closely contested, with Belgium’s Evan Dubru scoring the decisive 28th point in attack. Inspired by that success, the young Red Dragons went on to win the next two sets as well, thereby sealing their first victory of the tournament after another successful attack by Dubru.

Dubru led Belgium with 18 points, Robbe Devriese added 17, and Lou De Wachter scored 15. For Ukraine, Andrii Nakoskin scored 17 points, Volodymyr Filipovskyi had 16, Antonii Kravchenko added 14 (including four blocks), and Yurii Koval finished with 13 points, including three aces and three blocks.

In the second match, hosts Latvia lost 1-3 (25-23, 24-26, 18-25, 17-25) to the Netherlands.

The Dutch initially led 10-7 in the first set, but after an ace by Aksels Marks Džeriņš, Latvia equalised at 11-11. In a tight battle, Latvia took the lead at 19-18 following an attack error by Thijmen Johannes Petrus de Heij and held on to win the set. Although the Netherlands saved two set points, Mārtiņš Skudra closed the set with a first-tempo attack – 25-23.

Latvia started the second set strongly (4-0) and maintained their lead, extending it to 16-9 after a cross-court attack by Joa Valkema finished out of bounds. However, the advantage slipped from 18-12 to 18-17, and the Netherlands levelled at 19-19. Latvia had two set points at 24-22, but an attack error by Džeriņš gave the set to the Netherlands, 26-24.

The Dutch started the third set better, quickly building an 8-3 lead. Latvia briefly took the lead at 13-11 after a De Heij attack went out, but the Netherlands responded with a five-point run and went on to win the set 25-18, with Jayson Hansen scoring the final point.

In the fourth set, the Netherlands took control early, building a 9-2 lead with a strong block. They maintained a seven to 10-point advantage for most of the set and closed out the match at 25-17 after a service error by Ernests Pastars.

Džeriņš led Latvia with 19 points, including three aces, while Tomass Šilavs added 12. For the Netherlands, Hansen scored 23 points (including three aces), while Valkema and De Heij each contributed 15 points, with De Heij also recording three blocks.

“We could divide the match into two parts. The first two sets were good - we played as we had prepared. We handled serve reception well and varied our attack. But after losing the second set despite a +5 lead, the momentum shifted. Our game collapsed, and we could not find our rhythm anymore,” said Latvia U18 head coach Raimonds Liniņš.

“The opponents did not surprise us. We knew they would serve float serves, and we prepared for that all week, but apparently not enough. We struggled to choose the right positioning and kept receiving the ball too close to the body. After reception, we were constantly facing multiple-man blocks.”

“Belgium is a well-organised team that knows how to play and came back from 0-2 to beat Ukraine earlier today. They never give up and fight for every ball. They will serve aggressive float serves. We will see how we handle that. We need to make adjustments, analyse the game, and keep going - this was only the first match, and nothing will get easier,” the Latvian coach added about their next opponents.

“We played really well. We had a difficult start, but we handled it very well and truly played as a team. We stuck to our original game plan, never gave up, and kept fighting. I think we did that well, and I am really proud of the team,” said the Netherlands’ top scorer Jayson Hansen.

The winners of each group, as well as the four best second-placed teams among the five second-round pools will qualify for the final round. Hosts Italy have already secured their place, along with regional tournament winners Bulgaria, Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, Finland, and Spain.

The Final Round will take place from July 7 to 18, 2026, in the Italian cities of Porto San Giorgio and Cisterna di Latina.

Live streaming of all Pool D matches is available here.