Latvian youngsters eager to contest #EuroVolleyU16W qualifier on home soil

On Thursday, April 24, the Latvian U16 women’s national team featuring players born in 2010 or later will begin their quest for a spot in the Final Round of the European Championship at a home qualifier contested at the Sigulda Sports Centre. On the other hand, the U16 men’s team will embark on a similar journey this coming Friday, April 25, in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

The U16 women’s national team includes captain Samanta Liepa (Riga Volleyball School), Veronika Aleksejeva (Jurmala Sports School), Adriana Bukovska (Jelgava Region Sports Centre), Lote Actiņa (Minusa Volleyball School), Luīze Ozoliņa (Saldus VK), Alise Armale (Liepāja Sports Games School), Melānija Belova (Jurmala Sports School), Ieva Ķikuste (Gulbene Children and Youth Sports School), Marta Roziņa (Gulbene Children and Youth Sports School), Marta Rodere-Roderte (Talsi Region Sports School), Kristīne Niedra (Marupe Region Sports School), Rebeka Burkevica (South Kurzeme Sports School), Simona Velaviča (Saldus VK), and Karlīna Bērziņa (Marupe Region Sports School).

The team’s head coach is Raivis Mizāns, supported by assistant coaches Daniele Mario Capriotti and Viktorija Korbuta, statistician Vladimirs Visockis, doctor Lolita Kalniņa-Havraneka, and team manager Andris Nuķis.

“On Saturday, we discussed with the girls that the qualification tournament roster will include 14 players, with two additional players available in case replacements are needed. Compared to the first-round qualifier for the European Championship, the squad has changed slightly due to injuries to two key players who, unfortunately, will not play in Sigulda. However, some new players have joined the team, and in this age group, we have at least 22 to 24 girls who could play a significant role on the national team,” said Capriotti about the group. 

Over the weekend, the Latvians played two friendly matches against Estonia. “The Estonian players are slightly more physically developed and taller, but our team is more evenly matched in terms of height. These were interesting games, especially since we will also face Estonia in the qualification tournament. We will see how we can improve the finer details that might prove useful in the official matches. The most important takeaway was realising that we can play as equals,” said Capriotti about the matchups with their Baltic neighbours.

“Croatia has a really strong team - perhaps even a level above us in both tactics and physicality. Their players compete in high-level competitions. Greece has a typical team that appears older than their age. These two teams are likely the group favourites. I would say that in our group, Croatia and Greece are top-tier, while Latvia and Estonia are second-tier. But in this age group, anything can happen.”

“These matches are important for us to try and play quality games against strong opponents. We have seen that we are not far off from Estonia, and we will also be able to evaluate the level of the other countries. The only way to find out where we stand is to play,” the coach explained.

In the first round, which also served as the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U16 Championship, the Latvian girls placed fourth, with Poland securing a spot in the Final Round. 

The boys’ national team includes captain Kristers Navenickis (Jēkabpils SS), Gustavs Auniņš (Liepāja SSS), Dāvis Barutševics (Jelgava NSS), Ričards Birža (South Kurzeme SS), Artūrs Bolšteins (Liepāja SSS), Iļja Ivanovs (Daugavpils SS), Kārlis Juriks (Liepāja SSS), Toms Ločs (Marupe NSS), Markuss Lorbergs (Riga Volleyball School), Ernests Pastars (Cēsis SS), Lūkass Dāvids Piķelis (Riga Volleyball School), Olivers Pope (Cēsis SS/MSĢ), Neo Andrejevs (Jēkabpils SS), and Mikus Zūlis (Marupe NSS).

Head coach Jorens Janišonis is supported by assistant coach Oskars Aizporietis, fitness coach Edgars Eriņš, statistician Toms Šķepasts, doctor Artūrs Tilgass, and team manager Andris Nuķis.

The Latvian boys also finished fourth in the first-round EEVZA qualifier, with Poland securing the Final Round spot.

The boys’ final tournament, featuring 16 teams, will take place in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, from July 23 to August 3. The girls’ final tournament will be held from July 2 to 13, in the capitals of Albania and Kosovo – Tirana and Pristina.