28/12/2020 14:16
EuroVolley qualifier hero Ozoliņš among players awarded in Latvia
News from the National Federations
Riga, Latvia, December 28, 2020. Even though the coronavirus pandemic disrupted many plans and activities, the Latvian Volleyball family can look back at a very successful year 2020. As with every edition, fans (whose votes counted for 40%), media (30%) and sports organisers (30%) all helped determine the top players and teams of the past 12 months. They cast their respective votes until December 17 and the Latvian Volleyball Federation have just announced the winner of each award.
The male Volleyball player of the year 2020 is, unsurprisingly, Atvars Ozoliņš. He was highly important this past September when he top scored for Latvia to qualify for the final stage of the CEV EuroVolley Men for the first time since 1995 and only the second time in the history of the Baltic country. This feat is especially remarkable, since that EuroVolley qualifier featured the likes of Spain, Moldova and Cyprus as well.
Atvars Ozoliņš scored as many as 102 points to help Latvia qualify for EuroVolley for the first time since 1995
Marta Kamēlija Levinska has claimed the award for the female Volleyball player of the Year. She helped RIGAS Volejbola Skola seize the title of the Baltic league and emerged as the Most Valuable Player of the competition as well. Her club secured the award for the Team of the Year, after taking the Latvian national cup in late 2019, the Baltic League in 2020 and participating in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup for the second straight season.
Varvara Brailko and Anete Namiķe sensationally claimed the #EuroBeachVolleyU20 title this past September in Brno
Varvara Brailko and Anete Namiķe are the Beach Volleyball Team of the Year. They had a truly fabulous season, claiming the U20 European title in Brno (CZE), before finishing in 5th place at the U22 continental championship in Izmir (TUR). Moreover, they finished fourth at the 1-Star World Tour event held in Ljubljana – the very first international Beach Volleyball competition organised since the outbreak of the pandemic. Brailko claimed also the award presented to the ‘Rising Star of the Year’.
Finally, Ilja Minins and Evita Feldentale are the recipients of the awards for the best Volleyball referee and scorer, respectively. The very same awards in Beach Volleyball have gone to Janis Ivanovs and Diāna Veikšāne.
|