Volleyball

Poland beat Ukraine to book ticket to #EuroVolleyU20W Final Round

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Article Sat, Jan 6 2024

The EEVZA qualifier for this year’s #EuroVolleyU20W resumed on Saturday with another three matches including the highly anticipated fixture featuring Poland and Ukraine, which had recorded three wins in a row each before locking horns. It was a very close fight for every single point right from the start. The Ukrainians showed their persistence and character; however, Poland imposed their rule and eventually closed the match in three hard-fought sets (28-26, 25-22, 25-20) to book their ticket to the Final Round scheduled for later this summer in Bulgaria and Ireland. 

Anna Fiedorowicz (#7) and Wiktoria Szewczyk (in the foreground) erupt in joy following Poland's victory over Ukraine

On the other hand, the teams representing the Baltic States are fighting hard for a spot among the top four of the competition, which would secure progression to the second round of qualifications coming up in the spring. Estonia and Latvia played Saturday’s second match on the programme and the determination of the Latvian team could set an example for all others in the tournament. With their high energy and willingness to win the game, they accounted for the second five-set match of the competition and added much intrigue to the battle for a ticket to the second round of European qualifications. The Estonians started the game powerfully and gained a clear advantage in the match (25-23; 25-19). However, the course of the game changed in the third set, where the enthusiastic spirit shown by the Latvians pushed them to take over the initiative, which almost turned the table around. Playing without their leader, the Estonian team had to pull all their tricks in the defensive game and give their all to win the game. They eventually managed to do so and celebrated a 3-2 victory (25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 15-12). 

Jubilant members of the Estonian coaching staff after their team's 3-2 victory over Latvia

“Today we did not have our main player – opposite Carmel Vares, she is a little bit sick, and she stayed at the hotel. Therefore, the players had to believe that if one window shuts down, another door opens. And all players had a chance to show their character and quality. Today I saw that kind of players – players with much character. That was a real team effort. These girls surprised me with their good mindset and today it was a win for Carmel. Tomorrow we must show again a good game against Ukraine and demonstrate that maybe we deserve more than just third or fourth place in this tournament,” said the head coach of Team Estonia, Marko Mett.

The last game of the fourth day of action coincided with the first win and first three points in the tournament for hosts Lithuania following their speedy 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-7) victory over Azerbaijan.  

On Sunday, the last three matches will define the final standing – and with that which three teams will contest the second round of qualifications in April. Live streaming of all matches is available on the official YouTube channel run by the Lithuanian Volleyball Federation. 

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