Team Latvia delights home crowd to qualify for #EuroVolleyU20M for first time in 20 years!

The Latvian U20 men’s national team coached by Marcis Obrumanis has qualified for the final round of the European Championship in this age group for the first time in 20 years! Team Latvia played Germany on the third and final day of the second-round qualifier held in Daugavpils and recorded a resounding 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-23, 25-23) to claim first play in the pool and with it a ticket to the #EuroVolleyU20M scheduled for later this summer in Serbia and Greece. 

After trailing 0-2 in the first set, Nikita Dimitrjevs put Latvia in charge for the first time (4-3), but Germany scored the next three points. A close fight continued until 14-14 when Latvia scored three points in a row. Germany came close to a one-point deficit on several occasions, but the hosts remained cold-blooded until the end of the set, finishing it with an attack by Kristers Landzans (25-23). Germany led 5-2 early in the second set, but Latvia fought back (14-14) before edging ahead (19-16). Again, Landzans scored the last point and with a 2-0 lead in the match, Latvia had mathematically qualified for the Final Round. The third set was a close affair, before Latvia broke away (14-11) and did not relinquish their lead until the end of the game (25-23). 

Kristers Landzans scored 16 points for Latvia, followed by Armands Rokjans and Kristians Fokerots with 15 and 14, respectively. Felix Baumann stood out for Germany with 18 points, including three aces. Latvia finished the tournament with nine points from three wins in as many matches, followed by Germany, Croatia, and Slovakia. 

Latvia’s head coach Marcis Obrumanis has helped this group secure participation in a continental championship for a second time. Back in 2021, he was at the helm when Latvia made it to the #EuroVolleyU17M Final Round in Albania, where the Baltic team finished in eighth place.

“Before the match there was a feeling that the game might not be of that high quality today. We had had two very tough matches practically with the same group of players, and it was questionable whether there would be enough strength and emotional energy left for game three. However, driven forward by the spectators, we found motivation to beat the Germans. I saw nothing new in the German performance compared to their two previous games. I even expected more resistance from them. It was not like we have been impeccable, but after the two previous fights, I expected more from the opponents because they needed at least a 3-2 win to qualify for the Final Round,” said Obrumanis. 

In the first game of the third and final day of action in Daugavpils, Croatia beat Slovakia 3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-11, 25-19), thus finishing the tournament in third place. Ivan Vuk scored 19 points for the winners, attacking with a 63% efficiency, while Filip Makonyi racked up 14 for Slovakia.