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On Sunday, the Jēkabpils “Lūšu” team won the “Credit24” Baltic volleyball championship game.
The guests of Jēkabpils beat the team of “Daugavpils University” / ”Ezerzeme” with the result 3-0 (25:10, 25:21, 25:18).
In Jēkabpils team 15 points, four of which were accumulated in the block, were awarded to the best player of the league in October Kristaps Šmits, but ten points were scored by Armands Āboliņš.
Andris Širjakovs and Rihards Puķītis accumulated seven points in the fight for the home team, who started the last set in the basic line-up against their former team, attacking with an excellent 75% efficiency.
On Saturday, Daugavpils residents acknowledged the superiority of “RTU Border Guard” / “Jūrmala” in four sets.
“It is very difficult to win against these two teams,” asked Guntis Atars, the head coach of the Daugavpils unit, after the games in a conversation with the Latvian Volleyball Federation (LVF).
“We can try to fight in certain parts of the game. Yesterday we managed to win a set, which is already a success. However, it is still difficult for us to fight against these two opponents, because much more experienced volleyball players play in the ranks of the opponents. However, we do not have the maximalism of youth for the time being. It seems that it is easier for our experienced players to prepare for the games, but young people need emotions that are hindered by the rhythmic competition schedule. After a well-played match, they wanted a continuation with positive emotions, but then there was a two-week break, ”says Atars.
The Covid-19 epidemic has affected the schedule of games, but training takes place eight times a week, and it’s only a matter of time before the first points on the tournament table are scored.
About Sunday’s fight, however, Atars says that it was difficult to see anything positive on his side today. The opponent was also strong.
“Our helplessness in some positions – in the block, in the servings and in the reception of the servings – prevents us from getting the necessary positive emotions. For example, today I made the team serve freely without fear of making mistakes, but also the service was unsafe, and we could not undermine the reception of guest services, ”concludes Atars.
Saaremaa leads the league with 26 points in nine battles. Jēkabpils “Lūši” with 16 points in seven matches takes the second place, ahead of Tartu “Bigbank” and three “Parnu” represented by Latvians, who have 15 and 12 points in eight and six games. Fifth with 11 points in seven battles is “RTU Border Guard” / “Jūrmala”, while “Biolars” / “Jelgava” with eight points in seven duels takes eighth position, but “Daugavpils University” / “Ezerzeme” is left without points in five battles and is the last between ten units.
Ten teams are participating in the men’s competition this year in the Credit24 Championship – five from Estonia (Tartu “Bigbank”, “Parnu”, “Saaremaa”, Tallinn “Selver” and “TalTech”), four from Latvia (“Daugavpils University” / “Ezerzeme”) , “RTU Border Guard” / “Jūrmala”, Jēkabpils “Lūši” and “Biolars” / “Jelgava”), and among the participants there are again Lithuanian representatives – Klaipeda “Amber Volley”.
At the end of March this year, due to the proliferation of Covid-19, the organizers of the tournament decided not to play in the “Final four” tournament, as a result of which the champions were not crowned.
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