In the decisive match of the #EuroVolleyU22M Pool D qualifier, the Latvian men`s national team faced a strong Polish squad on Saturday at the Daugavpils Olympic Centre. Poland emerged victorious with a clean 3-0 sweep (25-22, 25-17, 25-19). This result secured Poland the top position in the group standings and punched their ticket to next year`s #EuroVolleyU22M Final Round, which will be held in Portugal.
The opening set saw Latvia initially trail, but a strong service from Marats Selivanovs and a block by Nikita Dmitrijevs brought the score level at 12:12. An ace from Armands Rokjāns briefly put Latvia ahead 15:14. However, Poland quickly responded with three consecutive points, including a crucial block from Mateusz Kowalczyk, ultimately taking the first set 25-22.
Poland established an early lead in the second set with Bartłomiej Potrykus serving effectively, pushing the score to 8:4 in their favor. Latvia struggled to close the gap. An ace followed by a powerful spike from Potrykus further extended Poland`s advantage, leading to a comfortable 25-17 set win for the visitors.
The third set remained close early on, tied at 10:10 after a Polish service error. However, Poland pulled away, reaching a 19:15 lead following a transition play finished by Wojciech Gajek. The match concluded when Latvia`s Danila Mironovs served out of bounds, finalizing the set score at 25-19 and securing Poland`s 3-0 victory.
For Latvia, the top performers were Kristers Landzāns with 16 points, Armands Rokjāns with 11, and Leo Aleksandrs Stolcs contributing eight points, including two blocks. Poland`s offense was led by Wojciech Gajek with an impressive 20 points, supported by Bartłomiej Potrykus who added 13 points.
In the other match in Group D, Israel defeated Croatia with a decisive 3-0 victory (25-15, 27-25, 25-18). This win placed Israel second in the group standings with two victories and seven points.
Poland head coach Piotr Graban commented on his team`s success: “How did we manage to win? It`s difficult, but we worked for nearly a month to qualify for this European Championship. All the players did fantastic things. We improved in nearly every aspect, so I believe that was the path to success. And of course, we have a good atmosphere and strong team mentality. You always need to stay focused, because at this level, anyone can win if you lose focus. In the final tournament, we are aiming for medals. Of course, everyone dreams of gold, and we`ll try to get that gold medal. But any place on the podium would be great.”
He also shared his thoughts on the qualification tournament organization: “I must admit, I had never been to Latvia before, and it’s really very nice. I like the architecture and all the greenery – it’s very pleasant. The organisation level of the tournament was good, and the sports hall was perfectly suitable for this kind of qualification event. Maybe a little sad that the stands weren’t full, but I hope next time the arena will be packed. Everything was high-level. Everything we needed was available, so we are very thankful.”
Latvia head coach Mārcis Obrumanis reflected on the match: “To compete with a team like Poland, we need to improve in all elements of the game. Today our attacking was quite effective, but we struggled in certain areas of serve reception, which prevented us from staying in the game longer and putting up a tougher fight.”
Regarding the future prospects of his players, Obrumanis added: “This age group has twice previously qualified for the European Championship final tournament. So, that’s a kind of quality indicator. Yes, maybe this cycle didn’t go as we had hoped. But these guys definitely have room for progress. The senior national team will soon have some very good material to work with. The U22 team is already close to the senior level, so several players will definitely make their mark there soon.”
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood