In a thrilling opening match of the European Silver League Women`s Final held in Riga, the Latvian national team secured a hard-fought victory against tournament favorites Switzerland. Latvia`s starting roster featured Marta Kamēlija Levinska, Elvita Dolotova, Paula Nikola Ņečiporuka, Anna Rīta, Anija Jurdža, Karmena Struka, and liberos Kristīne Kramēna and Megija Grundmane.
After an even start (6:6), the home side, fueled by enthusiastic fans, gradually built a lead. Two aces from Rīta and a successful attack by Ņečiporuka extended their advantage to 16:12, forcing Swiss head coach Pavlo Sanchez to call a timeout. Latvia further stretched the lead to 21:15 after a powerful hit from Jurdža, leading to another Swiss timeout. The set concluded 25:17 with a strong Rīta attack, marking the first set loss for Switzerland in the entire tournament. Rīta was the top scorer in this set with six points.
The second set began positively for Latvia with a Dolotova attack and a Swiss error putting them up 2:0, extending to 7:4 via Levinska. However, Switzerland responded strongly with a 4-0 run, taking their first lead at 8:7 after a block by Alix de Micheli. Effective serves from Jūlija Lengweilere and attacks by Ņečiporuka helped Switzerland widen their lead to 18:16, prompting Latvian coach Daniele Mario Capriotti to use a timeout. A second timeout was called at 22:18, and Switzerland ultimately won the set 25:21. Despite this, Rīta and Ņečiporuka remained Latvia`s highest scorers with nine points each.
The third set saw Switzerland take an early lead, 7:4, after another de Micheli block. Latvia persistently closed the gap but couldn`t overtake the lead. After an Eihler attack, Switzerland led 19:13. A double substitution with Katrīna Struka entering as setter helped Latvia recover, tying the set at 23:23 after a successful attack by Struka, forcing another Swiss timeout. Elza Reknere also contributed as a setter. Latvia earned their first of five set points at 25:24 following a Swiss error and finally secured the set 32:30 after a misplayed shot by Madlaina Matter.
The fourth set proved to be a back-and-forth battle. Levinska scored the opening point, Switzerland took the next three, but Latvia rallied to lead 8:5. The Swiss fought back to tie it at 14:14 and eventually claimed the set 25:22 with a powerful attack from Lengweilere.
In the decisive fifth set, Switzerland scored the first point, but Latvia responded emphatically, winning the next six points and building a commanding 12:4 lead after a Jurdža spike. Katrīna Struka sealed the victory following a double substitution, securing the set 15:8 and the match.
Levinska finished as the match`s top scorer with an impressive 28 points. Jurdža contributed 21 points, while both Ņečiporuka and Rīta added 15 points and three aces each. Rīta also made a significant impact with five blocks. For Switzerland, Lengweilere was their leading attacker with 21 points.
Torin Vale