Volleyball

Vassiļjev names 14 players for first two Golden League matches

News

Article Fri, Jun 6 2025

The Latvian men's national team departed with a squad of 14 players for the European Golden League matches in Romania, where they face the home team and Montenegro. Eduards Stieģelis and Patriks Pinka have remained at home.

Since Monday, the team has been training in Riga, focusing mainly on physical conditioning. Fitness coach Raigo Kodress is overseeing this aspect, while Raimonds Liniņš is helping the players brush up on their ball-handling skills.

“We will compete in the Golden League with the 16 players listed in the candidate roster. Deniss Petrovs will not participate in this year’s Golden League due to health issues, and Eduards Stieģelis is also facing minor health problems. Pinkas won’t play this weekend in Romania but will rejoin training with the team next week, and we will reassess the squad before the tournament round in Daugavpils,” said head coach Rainer Vassiļjev, explaining his selection for the first two matches.

“Romania will play with its best lineup, as they are preparing for the World Championship finals. This summer is very important for them, and they are shaping a squad for the world stage. Their team features top players from both local and international clubs. Romania is a strong team with the potential to reach the Golden League Final Four - possibly even win the tournament. They have many quality players,” the coach said, praising the hosts. 

“Montenegro, on the other hand, has many young players, and their situation is similar to ours. The team is less predictable, as many from the previous generation I played against are no longer part of the squad. They are also integrating new players.”

“I am happy and satisfied with what we have done in training and our internal matches. We are progressing step by step and playing better each week, though we haven’t had any test matches and will be fielding some new players. It’s especially important that both setters are young, but I am pleased with how they have performed in training. So we will just go and freely play the volleyball we have been working on for the past two weeks. We will see what the opponents bring and how satisfied we can be with the result,” said the coach. “Compared to last year, this is a completely different team. We are missing several key national team players, and I am genuinely curious to see how our team will perform on the court.”

Assisting head coach Rainer Vassiļjev are coaches Raimonds Liniņš and Tauno Lipp, coach/statistician Aivis Kokins, fitness coach Raigo Kodress, physiotherapist Kristaps Blitsons, team doctor Lolita Kalniņa-Havraneka, and team manager Jekaterīna Ņikitina.

Latvia last played in the European Golden League in 2022, losing all six matches and dropping out of the league. In 2023, the team had a perfect run in the European Silver League with eight wins in eight matches, claiming the championship, but did not participate in the European League last year. In 2024, Ukraine, coached by Uģis Krastiņš, won the Golden League, with Croatia finishing second, Czechia third, and Estonia fourth.

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