Latvian women's volleyball team to test readiness in Baku against Euro host Azerbaijan
Latvia's women's volleyball team has traveled to Baku for two friendlies against Azerbaijan, one of the hosts of the 2026 European Championship. The matches will show whether the team is ready for the final tournament in Istanbul.
On Thursday, Latvia's women's national volleyball team left for Baku, where they will play test matches against Azerbaijan on August 7 and 8. Baku is one of the four venues for the 2026 European Championship, while Latvia will play its group matches in Istanbul in mid-August.
Head coach Daniele Mario Caprioti said before the trip that he was pleasantly surprised by how well the players had handled the physical load in the two weeks since the training camp resumed. The only minor setback was an ankle twist suffered by Šarlote Šlitere, but she has recovered and returned to training. Caprioti said he has the feeling the team has improved and he is very interested to see how they perform in competitive conditions.
Azerbaijan have appeared at every European Championship since 2005 and reached the semifinals twice, in 2005 and 2017. Earlier this summer in the CEV European League, Azerbaijan won three of six matches to finish 12th, while Latvia won two and placed 16th. Caprioti stressed the need to raise the bar and prove competitiveness against stronger opponents. He noted that Azerbaijan, as tournament hosts, have assembled as strong a squad as they have had in recent years, and the matches can provide valuable lessons.
Fourteen players traveled to Baku. Diagonal hitter Irbe Lazda will not be available for the European Championship due to personal reasons, and her place at the training camp has been taken by Latvian U18 captain Linda Račiņa. Račiņa, along with liberos Elīna Zvaigzne and Sandija Bērziņa, will rejoin the candidate pool next week after the matches in Azerbaijan. A final squad of 14 players can be registered for the European Championship.
Before the finals, Latvia will play a friendly against Croatia on August 16 at 19:00 at the Team Sports Hall in Riga. The Latvian women's team will compete in the European Championship finals for the first time since 1997. In Istanbul, they will face Turkey (August 21), Germany (August 23), Poland (August 24), Slovenia (August 26) and Hungary (August 27).
