03/12/2019 11:00
RIGAS Volejbola Skola to account for historic Latvian #CEVChallengeCupW premiere
CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2020 - Women
Riga, Latvia, December 3, 2019. The coaching duo comprising of Andrejs Odinokovs and Pavels Selivanovs will help make history for Latvian Volleyball on Wednesday night when they will be leading RIGAS Volejbola Skola in the very first women’s Challenge Cup match to feature a Latvian club. Teams from the Baltic country previously participated in the men’s Challenge Cup – but this is a historic debut for a women’s Latvian team in the third-tier European competition.
RIGAS Volejbola Skola were the dominant force in the 2017/2018 edition of the Latvian national league, where they left no chance to the opposition. Last year, the team from the Latvian capital secured the bronze medals from the cross-national Baltic Cup. This season, they have joined the Baltic League and they are now making their historic European maiden appearance as well.
The Latvians are due to play Hungary’s BEKESCSABAI Röplabda SE in the 16th Finals. The Hungarians have a strong tradition in the European Cups – and last year they played the early rounds of the elite Champions League before reaching the semi-finals of the CEV Cup.
“While preparing for this historic game, we have devoted most of our time to develop our chemistry and team work,” coach Odinokovs said. “My players have been doing their best at every practice to improve their skills. Moreover, what is very important – it is that we have a very good and friendly atmosphere in the team. We analyse not only our games but also our opponent’s games, to know all about their strengths and weaknesses. We are planning to apply those data we have collected in the game. If we show our best and aggressive game, we will have an opportunity to win this match.”
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