Vilnius Egle Reigns Supreme at Women’s Baltic Sea Handball League Weekend in Estonia

December 1, 2024

This weekend saw two of the three major tournaments in the Women’s Baltic Sea Handball League unfold in Lithuania and Estonia. Here’s a closer look at the results and highlights from the action in Estonia.

The reigning champions, Finland’s GrIFK, opened the weekend with two commanding victories over Estonia’s Mistra and Latvia’s Jēkabpils SS. The most thrilling clash of the tournament came when the Finnish powerhouse faced Lithuania’s Vilnius Egle. Both teams battled fiercely, but it was the Lithuanians who edged out a narrow 28–27 victory.

“We made some crucial mistakes at the end, hitting the post a couple of times, and unfortunately, that decided the game,” said Ella Paukku, who was named the best player in the showdown between GrIFK and Vilnius Egle. “We started the weekend trying to find our rhythm but improved with every minute. In the end, it was a great three games.”

Vilnius Egle built on their momentum, following up their triumph over GrIFK with two decisive wins against Mistra and Jēkabpils SS. “We began Sunday’s game as nervously as we started the weekend,” said Egle’s goalkeeper Evita Žilionytė. “But I’m proud of how we played as a team. It’s never easy playing three games in a row. In the first two matches, everyone got some time on the court, and we capped off the weekend with a cherry on top — the win against GrIFK.”

For the Estonians and Latvians, two initial losses set the stage for an electrifying showdown on Sunday. And the teams delivered. The game remained tight until the final seconds, with Mistra’s Maarja Treiman clinching the victory in dramatic fashion. Her stunning long-range shot from 12 meters in the dying moments sealed a 27–26 win for Mistra over Jēkabpils.

“Endings like these are always a lottery,” said Ciematniece, who was named the best player from the Latvian side in the Sundays game. “Today, we drew the short straw. We fought hard for all three days, but in the end, a bit of fatigue set in. Credit to Treiman from the opposing team for a spectacular second half.”

“We’re happy to have kept two points in Estonia in front of our home crowd,” said Maarja Treiman, named the best player from Mistra for Sunday. “However, we didn’t follow the coach’s instructions closely enough today and ended up shooting straight at the opposing goalkeeper too often. We still have significant strides to make to catch up with Lithuania and Finland, but that’s precisely what makes the Baltic Sea League so exciting.”

The next major tournament in the Women’s Baltic Sea Handball League is set to take place at the end of March in Finland, hosted at Kauniaisten Palloiluhalli. Until then, fans can look forward to several local derbies, promising more intense action and rivalries to keep the momentum going.

Photo credits: Joonas Kuuskla/ Estonian Handball Federation