EEVZA Cup for sports schools and youth clubs to feature six teams across U16 and U18 divisions

The second edition of the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) Cup for sports school and youth club teams in the U16 age category will take place at the Daugavpils Olympic Centre and the sports hall of the Daugavpils Sports School from Friday to this coming Sunday. For the first time, young players from across EEVZA will compete in the U18 category as well.

A year ago, Daugavpils hosted six teams per gender in the inaugural competition designed solely for the U16 age group. This year, the competition organised by the Latvian Volleyball Federation (LVF) will feature six teams per gender in both the U16 and U18 divisions. 

In the second ever such U16 tournament, players born in 2012 and 2013 will participate, while in the U18 group, athletes born in 2010 and 2011 are eligible to compete. Teams from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine will take to the court in Daugavpils. 

In the U16 boys’ division, Latvia will be represented by Riga Volleyball School, Aizkraukle District Sports School, and Daugavpils Sports School; the Klaipeda Volleyball Academy (Lithuania), Selver Tallinn (Estonia) and Ukraine’s Sokoliany, a team currently based in Poland, complete the line-up.

In the U16 girls’ competition, Latvia will be represented by Mārupe District Sports School and Gulbene District BJSS; Lithuania by Palanga Sports Centre; Estonia by Neemeco/Kohila Vald and SK Rae, while VK Ace will carry the hopes of Ukrainian success. 

Latvia’s Jēkabpils Sports School, Mārupe District Sports School, and Daugavpils Sports School will contest the U18 men’s tournament together with Lithuania’s Klaipeda Sports Centre Viesulas and Startas Kaunas, plus Selver Tallinn of Estonia. 

Finally, Gulbene District BJSS and Daugavpils Sports School (Latvia), Klaipeda Sports Centre Viesulas (Lithuania), Selver Tallinn 1 and 2 (Estonia) and VK Ace (Ukraine) will vie for top honours in the U18 women’s division. 

Each team will play five matches over the three days, with the awards ceremony taking place on Sunday, October 26 at 3:30 pm local time.