Latvia's volleyball women face another tough test against powerhouse Poland

Latvia's women's volleyball national team is competing in its first European Championship final tournament since 1997, marking a return after a 29-year absence. Their next opponent is Poland, ranked fifth in the world, while Latvia sits at 65th — the lowest ranking among all teams at the tournament.

Latvia opened the championship with two defeats. In the first match, the team lost in three straight sets to reigning European champions Turkey. In the following game against Germany, Latvia won its first set of the tournament but ultimately lost 1:3. Team leader Marta Levinska commented on the match against Germany afterward.

For Poland, the upcoming match will only be their second at the tournament — they opened with a convincing 3:0 win over Hungary.

Group standings

In Group A, being played in Turkey, tournament favorite Turkey leads with six points from two matches. Poland has three points from one match, matched by Slovenia and Germany, who each have three points from two matches. Latvia and Hungary have yet to score any points. Four of the six group teams will advance to the knockout stage.

Latvia and Poland have met nine times in official matches, with Latvia winning twice. Their previous meetings at European Championship final tournaments came in 1995 and 1997, both ending in losses for Latvia.

After facing Poland, Latvia will play two more group matches — against Slovenia on Wednesday and Hungary on Thursday. The European Championship runs from August 21 to September 6, with knockout matches held in Istanbul.