Russia and Poland to battle for coveted ticket to #EuroVolleyU18M

With one last round of matches still to go and coming up on Sunday, Poland and Russia are the teams in contention for top spot at the EEVZA U18 Men’s Championship and the sole ticket available to secure participation in next year’s #EuroVolleyU18M in Georgia.

On Saturday, Russia recorded their fourth victory in the competition as they beat Latvia 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-12). Russia had lost to Ukraine earlier in the competition – and Latvia had beaten the Ukrainians on Friday, but the young players from the Baltic country could not quite repeat and deliver the same performance against the physically imposing Russians.

Later in the afternoon, Belarus improved their win-loss record to 3-2 after edging Estonia 3-1. The opening set was especially tense and dramatic, with Estonia claiming it 31-29. After that, however, Belarus changed gear and swept three in a row (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) to cement their third place in the current standing of the competition.

Poland improved their record to five wins in a row as they thumped hosts Armenia in three quick sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-9) in 50 minutes only. A group of Armenian fans did not miss the opportunity to follow the match from the stands – but the visitors from Poland looked too strong for the home side.

The competition in Yerevan reaches its climax on Sunday, with Armenia playing Estonia, Ukraine facing Belarus before Poland and Russia play for gold at 7 pm local time – in a match that will define which side secures their participation at the next edition of the U18 Men’s European Championship.

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