Põlva Serviti Pull Away in Second Half to Defeat TENAX Dobele

September 26, 2026

Põlva Serviti claimed a convincing 34–25 victory over ZRHK TENAX Dobele in the Baltic Handball League on Saturday evening, building on a six-goal half-time advantage before taking firm control of the contest after the break.

Serviti led 16–10 at half-time and continued to dictate the pace in the second half, with Hendrik Varul producing an outstanding 10-goal performance to lead the Estonian side.

The opening stages were competitive, with Dobele answering Serviti almost goal for goal. The Latvian side stayed within two goals at 8–6 after 13 minutes, but Serviti gradually began to create separation.

Goals from Ülljo Pihus, Jurgen Rooba and Tõnis Kase helped the hosts move from 8–6 to 12–7, before Sander Sarapuu and Karlis Kalk contributed as Serviti took a 16–10 lead into the break.

Dobele attempted to respond immediately after half-time. Rauls Erlends Serafimovičs scored in the opening minute of the second period and Antons Šuleiko followed shortly afterwards, but Serviti consistently found an answer at the other end.

The decisive spell followed during the opening ten minutes of the second half. Kermo Saksing and Varul repeatedly found the net as Serviti increased their advantage from 16–10 to 24–16 by the 39th minute.

From there, the home side remained in control. Saksing made it 27–18 in the 46th minute, while Varul continued his excellent performance with several goals during the closing stages. Serviti reached a double-digit advantage at 31–21 before Aron Oberg extended the margin to 32–21.

Dobele continued competing until the final whistle, with goals from Kārlis Krūmiņš, Linards Usāns and Ņikita Pančenko reducing the deficit late in the match, but Serviti’s advantage proved decisive as the hosts closed out a 34–25 victory.

Varul was the standout performer, scoring 10 goals from 12 attempts. Saksing added six goals, while Mathias Rebane scored four, including a perfect three from three from the seven-metre line. Stanislav Kholodiuk also finished with three goals from three attempts.

For TENAX Dobele, Rauls Erlends Serafimovičs led the scoring with eight goals from 10 shots, including two seven-metre goals. Ņikita Pančenko contributed four goals, while Kārlis Krūmiņš, Linards Usāns and Antons Šuleiko each scored three.

The result gives Serviti another victory over Dobele following their 28–26 win in Latvia when the teams last met in February.

Baltic Handball League
Põlva Serviti – ZRHK TENAX Dobele 34–25 (16–10)

Top scorers:
Põlva Serviti: Hendrik Varul 10, Kermo Saksing 6, Mathias Rebane 4, Karlis Kalk 3, Stanislav Kholodiuk 3.
ZRHK TENAX Dobele: Rauls Erlends Serafimovičs 8, Ņikita Pančenko 4, Kārlis Krūmiņš 3, Linards Usāns 3, Antons Šuleiko 3.