On Sunday, in Daugavpils at the Olympic Centre, the final #EuroVolleyU22W qualifying match took place, in which the host team, Latvia, lost to Ukraine with a score of 1:3 (22-25, 19-25, 25-22, 16-25). Earlier, the Ukrainians had already defeated Denmark, and thanks to two victories, secured their participation in the final stage of the competition, which will be held next year in the Netherlands.
The Latvian team started by earning the first two points thanks to an ace by Karmena Struka, but Ukraine quickly responded with three points of their own and took a 16-10 lead after an unreturnable serve by Andriana Pavlyk, maintaining the advantage up to 22-16. Thanks to Karmena Struka`s serve and successful attacks by Katrīna Struka, Latvia managed to tie the score at 22-22, but Ukraine won the remaining rallies and took the set 25-22.
In the second set, Ukraine quickly seized the lead again, increasing it to 18-9 after an attack by Kira Lisova. Latvia was again able to narrow the gap to 18-20 after an ace by Anna Cepurīte. However, Ukraine held onto their lead and won the set 25-19 after Kristīne Leskinoviča`s error, sending the ball out of bounds.
In the third set, having already guaranteed first place and qualification, Ukraine made three substitutions. For Latvia, Katrīna Struka moved from the outside hitter position to the opposite, with Šarlote Šlitere taking her place. Ukraine scored first and led 10-6 after a Latvian attack error. The hosts responded with a 4-0 run and took the lead 17-15 after two aces by setter Arina Sosinoviča. Latvia won the set 25-22 after a misunderstanding between Oleksandra Molchanova and Polina Herasymchuk on a first-tempo attack.
In the fourth set, Cepurīte started instead of Rūta Putene for Latvia, and the team led 2-0 after a strong serve by Karmena Struka. However, Ukraine secured their victory in the set and the match with a 7-0 run, reaching 11-5 after Cepurīte`s attack error. Herasymchuk finished the match with a final attack, setting the score at 25-16.
Latvia`s top scorer was Katrīna Struka with 17 points, including three blocks and an attacking efficiency of 56% (14 out of 25). Karmena Struka scored 10 points (three of which were aces), and Marta Gintere added 9 points.
For Ukraine, Diana Kryva scored 17 points, Andriana Pavlyk 14, and Polina Herasymchuk got a third of her 12 points from blocks.
“What we saw on the court is exactly the kind of volleyball all women`s teams strive for,” noted Latvia U22 head coach Inguna Minusa. “Overall, it was a very valuable tournament. We didn`t qualify for the final round, but the experience gained in the matches against Denmark and Ukraine is priceless. The game against Denmark showed that everyone can play now, everyone wants to win, and we can no longer afford to play carelessly or underestimate anyone. The match against Ukraine was already a different game; we learned lessons from the first one.”
“It was a good game, and Ukraine certainly played very well, but I think we also had chances to win,” commented Katrīna Struka. “Unfortunately, a few silly mistakes allowed us to win only one set. Ukraine won the first set thanks to their strong starting lineup, which played excellently. When they started making substitutions, their game became less coordinated, and that`s why we were able to take the third set.”
“I hadn`t trained much with the team, only had a few practices in Daugavpils, but I think we worked well together and supported each other. Unfortunately, it just didn`t work out this time,” Katrīna added.
Ukraine secured their ticket to the final tournament by defeating Denmark 3:0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-12) on Saturday. Andriana Pavlyk scored 21 points for the winners (a third of them from serves), and Diana Kryva added 16 points. For Denmark, the top scorer was Veronika Kjaer Sørensen with 9 points.
Ukraine earned six points and qualified for the final tournament, Denmark finished with two points, and Latvia with one.
“The first two sets were the most important for us because after them we had already guaranteed first place in the group. After that, three substitute players came onto the court, and I`m very glad we managed to win with them as well. That`s also important for the players,” said Ukraine`s head coach Gariy Yegiazarov. “The biggest problems for us were created by the Struka sisters, who are members of Latvia`s main national team. They have more experience than the other U22 players and are leaders of the senior team. I think Latvia`s U22 team is stronger than their Danish peers, but on Friday Denmark played really well – even better than usual.”
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood