Poland claims first ticket to #EuroVolleyU22M Final Round

In the final match of the #EuroVolleyU22M Pool D qualifier, the Latvian men’s national team on Saturday suffered a 0-3 (22-25, 17-25, 19-25) loss to Volleyball powerhouse Poland at the Daugavpils Olympic Centre, thereby finishing third in the final standing of the group. With this result, Poland secured first place in the pool and also their ticket to next year’s #EuroVolleyU22M Final Round in Portugal. 

Latvia’s players initially fell behind, but after a strong serve by Marats Selivanovs, Nikita Dmitrijevs made a block (12:12), and Armands Rokjāns’ ace brought Latvia ahead 15:14. Poland responded with three straight points, including a block by Mateusz Kowalczyk. In the end, the hosts lost the first set 22-25.

In the second set, with Bartłomiej Potrykus serving, the score quickly turned to 4:8 against the hosts. Latvia could not close the gap, and after an ace and powerful spike from Potrykus, the deficit grew further to seven points. The set ended in a 17-25 defeat for Latvia.

The third set was last tied at 10:10 after Polish player Wojciech Gajek served into the net. Latvia fell behind 15:19 when Gajek scored off a transition ball. In the final rally of the match, Danila Mironovs served out of bounds, thereby sealing the 19-25 loss.

Latvia’s top scorers were Kristers Landzāns (16 points), Armands Rokjāns (11), and Leo Aleksandrs Stolcs (eight points, including two blocks). For Poland, Wojciech Gajek and Bartłomiej Potrykus stood out with 20 and 13 points respectively.

In the other Group D match, Israel defeated Croatia 3-0 (25-15, 27-25, 25-18) to seal second place on two wins and seven points. 

“How did we manage to win? It’s difficult, but we worked for nearly a month to qualify for this European Championship. All the players did fantastic things. We improved in nearly every aspect, so I believe that was the path to success. And of course, we have a good atmosphere and strong team mentality. You always need to stay focused, because at this level, anyone can win if you lose focus,” said Poland head coach Piotr Graban. “In the final tournament, we are aiming for medals. Of course, everyone dreams of gold, and we’ll try to get that gold medal. But any place on the podium would be great.” 

How did you like the qualification tournament and the organisation? “I must admit, I had never been to Latvia before, and it’s really very nice. I like the architecture and all the greenery – it’s very pleasant," the Polish coach revealed. “The organisation level of the tournament was good, and the sports hall was perfectly suitable for this kind of qualification event. Maybe a little sad that the stands weren’t full, but I hope next time the arena will be packed. Everything was high-level. Everything we needed was available, so we are very thankful.”

Latvia head coach Mārcis Obrumanis: “To compete with a team like Poland, we need to improve in all elements of the game. Today our attacking was quite effective, but we struggled in certain areas of serve reception, which prevented us from staying in the game longer and putting up a tougher fight.” 

What are the prospects for your players? “This age group has twice previously qualified for the European Championship final tournament. So, that’s a kind of quality indicator. Yes, maybe this cycle didn’t go as we had hoped. But these guys definitely have room for progress,” the coach noted.

“The senior national team will soon have some very good material to work with. The U22 team is already close to the senior level, so several players will definitely make their mark there soon.”