Volleyball

Poland keeps perfect record at EEVZA #EuroVolleyU20W qualifier

News

Article Fri, Jan 5 2024

The fight for the much-coveted ticket to the #EuroVolleyU20W Final Round is heating up at the EEVZA qualifier which is running this week in Šiauliai, Lithuania. 

Team Poland has accrued three wins and maximum points from their matches this far

The third competition day started with the matchup featuring the U20 women’s national teams of Latvia and Poland. Although the young players from the Baltic country demonstrated real persistence and much determination, especially in the opening set, and left their hearts on the court trying to surprise the pre-favourites of the tournament, their rivals from Poland were able to extend their winning streak following a comprehensive 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-14, 25-22). 

No surprises were in store even in the following fixture involving the teams of Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Without any mercy, the Ukrainians collected another three points by winning the match in three quick sets (25-12, 25-6, 25-10). 

Finally, the first derby between Baltic states – Lithuania and Estonia – was due to provide the real highlight of the day. From the very beginning, the Estonians took the initiative and did not leave any chances to the home team. Fighting hard to keep the ball in play, Lithuania seemed to stand their best chance towards the end of the third set when they fought back from 17-24 to 23-24. Unfortunately, it was not enough to win the set and the home team ultimately had to concede a defeat in straight sets (20-25, 19-25, 24-26). 

“We did not expect to win yesterday against Ukraine, we played well, maybe because we were relaxed. Today we had a task to fight for the victory, but we were too tight. We made childish and chaotic mistakes,” said the head coach of Team Lithuania, Jolita Kontvainienė.

“The deciding match for us will be on Sunday. There will be a real war with the Latvians for the last ticket to the second round of qualifications. We are surprised with the support our team gets – we are not used to it, but it feels great. It is good to play at home. On the other hand, it puts extra pressure on some players. However, active support from the fans is necessary and should give the girls adrenaline."

Jolita Kontvainienė
Head coach of Team Lithuania
The local fans have been providing much support to the home team of Lithuania

More electrifying matches are coming up on Saturday and Sunday, with live streaming available on the official YouTube channel of the Lithuanian Volleyball Federation

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