Latvia's volleyball team falls to Germany but wins a set for the first time at the tournament
Latvia's women's national volleyball team lost 1-3 to Germany at the European Championship, though Marta Levinska's 24 points helped them claim their first set win of the tournament. Latvia next faces Poland on Monday.
On Sunday, Latvia's women's national volleyball team played its second match at the 2026 European Championship, losing 1-3 (15:25, 18:25, 25:13, 15:25) to Germany.
Latvia's top scorer was again attack leader Marta Levinska, who tallied 24 points, half of them coming in the third set, which Latvia managed to win. In that set, Latvia's attack efficiency reached 52%, by far the best of either team in any set of the match, while Levinska's personal efficiency in the set hit 69%. In the other three sets, Latvia's efficiency never topped 30%.
Paula Nečiporuka added ten points and Anija Jurdža scored nine for Latvia. Germany's top scorers were Lina Alsmeier and Leana Grozer, each with 17 points.
Match summary
In the first set, Latvia struggled with serve reception. After an even start, Germany pulled away, eventually building a ten-point lead. In the second set, Latvia briefly took the lead, but losing a long rally at 7:7 shifted the momentum, allowing Germany to quickly open a five-point gap it never relinquished.
The third set told a different story. Levinska's strong hitting and Latvia's overall play let the team pull ahead and win a set for the first time in this European Championship. Latvia stayed competitive in the fourth set, but after a refereeing error at 11:15 in Germany's favor, the Germans won four straight rallies to close out the match.
Group standings
In Group A after two rounds, Turkey leads, followed by Poland and Slovenia. Germany, with one win and one loss, sits fourth, Hungary fifth, and winless Latvia is last in sixth place. In the world rankings, Latvia sits 65th, lower than any other team in the group. On Monday, Latvia will face fifth-ranked Poland.
