Already this weekend at the playground in the center of Vilnius at White bridge the women's round of the European Championship "Satellite" series organized in our country for the second time in a row will take place.
It is already clear that in the tournament, the prize pool of which is 4 thousand. euros, at least three Lithuanian couples will participate. Ieva Dumbauskaitė and Monika Povilaitytė, Urtė Andriukaitytė and Monika Povilaitytė and Jekaterina Kovalskaja with Agnieška Paškevič already have places in the main tournament. Lithuanians can win one more place in the qualifying competition.
True, the strongest Lithuanian couple I. Dumbauskaitė and M. Povilaitytė are currently successfully participating in the prestigious four-star FIVB tournament in Poland, so if our girls continue their winning streak there, they may not make it to the tournament in Vilnius. In any case, great hopes will be attached to U. Andriukaityte and I. Zobnina. It was they who organized a fantastic march to the final in Vilnius a year ago, and only then had to recognize the superiority of the Ukrainian team.
"It's difficult to talk about our goals, we just want to perform as well as possible, enjoy being on the pitch. Many things remind us of last year's success, but really only the same name and venue remain. Everything else has changed. Our game is already different, the opponents will be different. It wouldn't be logical to live in the past," U. Andriukaitytė and I. Zobnina shared their thoughts after training.
The athletes were happy to be able to participate in such a high-level tournament in their hometown.
"The walls of the house have a lot of influence. It's much more fun to compete in front of your own audience. The support and atmosphere are getting better every time in Lithuania. It's a very good feeling to play at home", the volleyball players added.
24 teams will participate in the main tournament. 16 teams immediately entered the main stage, and another 16 pairs battled for the remaining eight tickets to the qualifying tournament. Teams from Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and Lithuania registered for the "Satellite" tournament in Vilnius.
"When the European Championship stage takes place in Lithuania, it means a big plus for the country, and a very interesting event for the spectators. Strong teams from all over Europe are coming to this tournament, so we expect an interesting event", said Marius Vasiliauskas, Vice President of the Lithuanian Volleyball Federation.
For the first time, the stage of the "Satellite" series of the European Championship was held in Vilnius last year. Then the tournament got a lot of positive feedback.
"Last year event happened great, the results were also good. Even more teams have come this year, so the level should be higher. Three teams are participating in the FIVB tournament currently taking place in Poland, which will also come to Vilnius, so this shows that the level will be high, said M. Vasiliauskas. - If Ieva and Monika manage to return from Poland, we expect medals from them. We would like at least six from Urtė and Irina, and other couples could fight for a place in the top ten. It is very difficult to say who will be the favorites, because the rankings are similar and everything will be determined by how the athletes will play this weekend. Of course, we expect a good game from the Lithuanians, because they play better on their home field."
The qualifying tournament will be held in Vilnius on Friday at the "Credit24" field near the White Bridge. The main stage will start on Saturday and the finals will be held on Sunday.
