Three teams in Riga double their win tally, as local heroines celebrate first victory

The youngsters from Poland, Türkiye, and Italy secured their second victory in the #EuroVolleyU18W Pool I in Riga on Thursday, while hosts Latvia celebrated their first win of the tournament.

Italy head coach Stefano Gregoris had already predicted a tough match against Czechia, and he was proven right. The Czechs served well, making it difficult for the favourites to set up their attack and played strong defence. While the teams battled evenly through the middle of each set, Italy’s superiority consistently prevailed in the closing points. Bianca Legrenzi scored five points via blocks in the first set alone, while Lisa Dharma Monari Gamba and Zoe Airhienbuwa took the initiative in attack during the second and third sets. Alessia Manda skilfully orchestrated the play, leading the Italians to a 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-23, 25-23).

Bianca Legrenzi: “We had our problems during the match, but we managed to overcome them. We are very united and close-knit, supporting each other during tough moments, so it helped a lot. It is a good result for us. Winning in three sets was important because the battle for the top two spots here will be very tight. Five blocks in the first set? That’s the reward for the hard work we put in when we practice every day. I am happy about it.”

On the third day of the tournament, Italy will face Belgium – a finalist from the previous U18 European Championship contested in 2024 – who have started the competition with two painful losses. Meanwhile, the Polish and Turkish teams have two wins each under their belts. Poland defeated Spain 3-1 (25-20, 15-25, 25-20, 25-21), while Türkiye routed Belgium 3-0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-12). The two teams will face each other on Friday in a crucial match for one of the top spots in the pool. 

Meanwhile, in a duel between two teams seeking their first victory, the hosts from Latvia laid the foundation for a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-15) win over Iceland thanks to strong serving and their dominance in long rallies. The Latvian players served as many as 18 aces during the match, with team captain Linda Račiņa accounting for eight of them. “It is a fantastic feeling, because we have been working on this in training for a long time. It’s the feeling of a job well done,” the player said after a run of four unreturnable serves at the end of the match.

Team head coach Arvils Keišs: “We are delighted. Yesterday, against Poland, we were already thrilled just to win a single set. Those emotions helped us believe we could win today’s match against Iceland. Both teams knew this was a game where points and a victory were within reach, so both took risks with their serves. At a certain point, we managed to be a bit more consistent in that regard. We also won almost all the long rallies – and that was a huge help. And, of course, the tremendous support from the crowd played a part. They deserve a lot of the credit for this victory.”

The third day of competition in Riga will begin on Friday with the Czechia vs Iceland match. Afterward, Italy will play Belgium, Poland and Türkiye account for the highlight of the day, and Latvia will take on Spain to wrap it up.