The girls' national junior squad are undergoing their final preparations for the final round of the European Championships (Small Countries Division), to be held in Luxembourg from April 8-10.

This is the second time Malta will be taking part in this competition reserved for U-18 players after a very satisfactory showing in the first appearance two years ago in Liechtenstein.

The Maltese girls contested the bronze medal match against Liechtenstein in the last Euro Championships, losing narrowly 3-2 after being penalised by some controversial referees' decisions.

Nevertheless, the positive performances of the Maltese girls encouraged the Malta Volleyball Association (MVA) to maintain its drive to boost its junior sector.

The players in the junior national squad, who have been training at the Cottonera Sports Complex over the past few months, are: Raissa Abela, Caroline Borg, Lara Caruana, Roxette Caruana, Daniela Ellul, Anna Grech, Denise Grech, Leanne Spiteri and Sarah Spiteri.

Malta will take a young squad to Luxembourg with Sarah Spiteri still only 14, and Denise Grech and Caroline Borg a year older. The team captain is Roxette Caruana.

The Maltese girls will face Ireland in the opening match followed by Cyprus, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

Two years ago, Malta outsmarted Ireland 3-0 but suffered defeats with an identical scoreline against favourites Luxembourg and Cyprus.

Branko Vlahovic, the MVA president, will head the Maltese contingent in Luxembourg. Nello Calleja is in the pool of international referees for next week's tournament.

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