Latvia Overcomes Croatia in EuroVolley U22M Qualifier Opener

In the opening match of the #EuroVolleyU22M Pool D qualifier held on Thursday at the Daugavpils Olympic Centre, the Latvian men`s national team secured a 3-1 victory (25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23) over Croatia.

Latvia started strongly in the first set, building an early 8:1 lead. Croatia managed to narrow the gap to 13:11 and later 19:18. Armands Rokjāns helped Latvia pull away again, making it 20:18 and then serving an ace for 21:18. Leo Aleksandrs Štolcs finished the set with a block, securing it 25-19.

The second set saw the home team trailing early (6:10) after a successful transition play by Croatian Ivan Vuk. Latvia managed to draw level briefly, but the visitors quickly regained the lead. Towards the end, a block from Gabriel Šunjo extended Croatia`s advantage, and Latvia lost the set 18-25.

Latvia established a clear lead early in the third set (10:5), helped by a block from Rokjāns. Croatia improved their play and reduced the deficit multiple times, but the hosts consistently held them off and won the set 25-20.

Latvia maintained a slight but steady advantage throughout the fourth set. A serve from Croatia`s Budimir Oliver Škorić tied the score at 17:17, but Kristers Landzāns responded with a service ace (19:17), aided by the net. Rokjāns brought Latvia to match point at 24:22, and Landzāns clinched the victory with the final point, making it 25-23.

Leading the scorers for Latvia were Armands Rokjāns with 23 points (including four aces), Kristers Landzāns with 17, Leo Aleksandrs Štolcs with 11 (including two blocks), Marats Selivanovs with 7, and Ņikita Dimitrijevs with 6. For Croatia, Ivan Vuk and Budimir Oliver Škorić were the top performers, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively.

Player and Coach Reactions

“This win is no surprise. We have played Croatia twice before and won both times. We knew they were similar to our team and that we could beat them,” said Latvian player Armands Rokjāns. “Today I just felt good – I was well-rested after playing with the senior team. The Daugavpils Olympic Centre gives us extra energy, and the team atmosphere is very friendly.”

“In key moments and points, we just weren’t on the court. There were a few small things that the opponents capitalised on. Physically they are very strong, while we are not as tall, so we need to capitalise on every point we can get – but in crucial moments, we didn’t manage,” admitted Croatian player Ivan Vuk. “They are a really good team, they look well-connected and seem to have trained together for a long time.”

When asked about Daugavpils, the Croatian player commented, “We came from Zagreb, and Daugavpils is a small and very nice city. I noticed how much effort you put into sports and everything looks really good overall.”

Latvia’s head coach Mārcis Obrumans shared his thoughts: “We definitely had confidence even before the match. The start went really well, which gave us even more confidence. Of course, there were nerves in the first match, but starting off with successful plays led to positive momentum and energy. At times, our serve reception was not great, but we managed to convert tough balls into points, which has often been an issue for us. Our attack was fairly diverse, and even when the quality of passing dropped, we stayed patient and scored points.”

Tournament Standings

In the other Group D match today, Poland defeated Israel 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 18-25, 15-9).

Group standings after day one: Latvia – 3 points, Poland – 2, Israel – 1, Croatia – 0.

Reflecting on leading the group, Latvia’s head coach said, “It’s always a good feeling to be at the top of the standings. The road ahead won’t be easy, but I hope we’ll do everything to stay near the top as long as possible – and hopefully also at the end of the tournament.” Looking ahead to the next match, he added, “The Israeli team is quite powerful. If we approach the game correctly… We may not be considered tournament favourites, but the crowd really pushed us today. On Friday, we expect even more fans, and we enjoy playing in Daugavpils.”

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