Ukraine, Estonia and Lithuania progress to #EuroVolleyU20W second-round qualifiers

The closing day of the #EuroVolleyU20W EEVZA qualifier held in Lithuania was due to define which teams would join the second round of qualifications, which will take place in April this year, since on Saturday Poland had already secured first place and with it a much-desired ticket to the Final Round due to take place later this summer in Bulgaria and Ireland. With not much at stake anymore, Poland still swept away the youngest players of the tournament – those representing Azerbaijan – in three quick sets (25-9, 25-11, 25-9) to finish the competition with a perfect record of five wins in as many matches and maximum 15 points.  

Earlier on Sunday, in a match that was to decide which team would finish second, Estonia had to acknowledge the superiority of their opponents from Ukraine. After playing with all their heart the day before against Latvia while missing their top player, the Estonians could not manage to show the same kind of performance and to regroup for one more win. As a result, Ukraine secured a 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-21) victory, enough to finish second and progress to the next round of qualifications, just as Estonia does after claiming third place.

The biggest intrigue was therefore associated with the matchup featuring Lithuania and Latvia, where the last ticket to the second round of #EuroVolleyU20W qualifiers was at stake. The hosts showed incredible combativeness and character and at the end of a drama-filled game, they emerged victorious in four sets (25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 28-26) to make sure they will continue their European journey in April.

The five-day long event in Šiauliai ended with a ceremony where the best player of each team was awarded: Arina Petuchova (Lithuania), Andriana Pavlyk (Ukraine), Anna Fiedorowicz (Poland), Lill Kandimaa (Estonia), Anna Cepurite (Latvia), and Vlada Kavtunova (Azerbaijan).