Latvia`s U22 women`s volleyball team is set to begin its bid to qualify for the #EuroVolleyU22W Final Round. Their campaign starts today, Friday, with a match against Denmark at the Daugavpils Olympic Centre. The tournament continues on Saturday when Denmark faces Ukraine, and concludes Sunday with a match between the Latvian and Ukrainian teams.
Head coach Inguna Minusa, a European Beach Volleyball champion from 2009, commented on the squad: “The roster for the tournament in Daugavpils features our most consistent players. We are also joined by three players from the senior national team for their first training session today.”
The team prepared for the qualifiers by playing five test matches. This included two matches against Algeria in Riga, followed by games against the U22 teams from Ukraine, Norway, and Algeria held in Daugavpils. Minusa explained their preparation strategy: “Our primary objective in these test games was to implement the tactical approaches we plan to use in the qualification tournament and to improve coordination, particularly between the setters and the rest of the team. We saw notable progress with each match.”
Looking ahead to the opening match against Denmark, Minusa remarked: “Denmark has been investing significantly in volleyball development for some time, and they haven`t played any recorded test matches, so they are a bit of an unknown quantity for us – a `cat in the bag.` They are expected to be a strong opponent, and I wouldn`t say we got an easy group draw. Both teams will likely experience some initial nerves. Our ultimate goal is to replicate last year`s success and qualify for the Final Round. The players are highly motivated to achieve this.”
The Latvian U22 roster for the Daugavpils tournament includes:
Setters: Laura Kristīne Vāvere (RSU/MSĢ), Arina Sosinoviča (Northeastern University, USA)
Middle Blockers: Karmena Struka (RSU/MSĢ), Marta Beatrise Gintere (RVS/LU), Jana Franckeviča (Daugavpils Sports School)
Opposite Hitters: Anete Čelnova (RVS/LU), Kristīne Leskinoviča (Hylte/Halmstad, Sweden)
Outside Hitters: Katrīna Struka (RSU/MSĢ), Anna Cepurīte (Saturnus Michelbeke, Belgium), Rūta Putene, Šarlote Šlitere (both – RVS/LU), Elizabete Helēna Štolca (Orsa Cuti Volley, Italy)
Liberos: Jasmīna Bērziņa (FT 1844 Freiburg, Germany), Megija Rumaka (RVS)
The team staff consists of Head Coach Inguna Minusa, Assistant Coaches Daniele Mario Capriotti and Atvars Ozoliņš, Statistician Vladimirs Visockis, Physiotherapist Luisa Dombrovska, and Team Manager Kristaps Čerņavskis.
A total of 19 national teams have registered to compete in the women’s qualifiers for the 2026 edition of #EuroVolleyU22W. The winners of the five qualification groups and the two best second-placed teams will advance to the final tournament. They will join the host nation, the Netherlands, who automatically qualify. Players born on or after January 1, 2005, are eligible to participate in the finals, which will take place in The Hague from July 7 to 12, 2026.
In the previous championship, Latvia’s U22 team successfully qualified for the final tournament through a qualification round also hosted in Daugavpils. They went on to finish the competition, played in Italy, in 8th place.