Jansons is the first Latvian player in Trentino Volley’s history: Mendez is delighted
The Itas Trentino men’s team’s summer transfer window continues with a focus on revitalizing every position on the roster. Following the recent official announcements of a setter (Zonta), an outside hitter (Roberti), and a middle blocker (Bossi), it is now the wing spikers’ turn to welcome a new addition, bolstering the position with another promising talent: Latvian Renārs-Pauls Jansons.
A native of Riga who turned 24 in May, he will experience his first season in the Italian SuperLega in Trento after competing in the Belgian, Finnish, and Czech leagues, having played for Aalst, Kyky, and most recently CEZ Karlovarsko, with whom he won the Scudetto Playoffs this past May, adding the first title to his personal trophy case after beginning his career in his home country, first with Ozolnieki and then with Riga and Jumala. He is a high-ball attacker who makes the most of his explosive jumping ability, especially in the fundamentals of attack, block, and serve—the best in his repertoire.
He joined the national team at a very young age, winning the European Silver League with them in 2023 and competing in two editions of the continental championship. He will compete in his third edition this September with Latvia, which has been placed in Pool D in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), alongside the hosts, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Turkey. Jansons has gained further international experience by competing twice in the Challenge Cup and once in the CEV Cup over the past three seasons. He is currently competing in the European Golden League, a tournament in which he has already scored 70 points with a 54% attack success rate in the first four matches played.
“I’m truly very happy to be coming to Trento,” said Renērs-Pauls Jansons, “ I’m arriving in a city full of history, beautiful and welcoming, and above all, home to Trentino Volley, whose tradition I know well, along with the results achieved on the national and international stage that consistently keep it among the top five clubs in the world. It will be a great honor to play in the Italian SuperLega; it will be a very important step in my career, a major leap, because this is the most beautiful and challenging league in the world. My goal will therefore be to adapt as quickly as possible to the high level of play and training I’ll encounter. I’m a physical player, so I have good vertical leap and power, but my goal is to become more and more well-rounded and not rely solely on my athleticism to be useful to the team.”
“I’ve been following Jansons with interest for some time because I believe he has great potential in a role where there are few players with his characteristics,” specified Trentino Volley coach Marcelo Mendez. “He possesses great physical strength and is particularly skilled in the fundamentals that drive the scoreboard—such as attack, block, and serve—where he has qualities that haven’t yet been fully realized. I’ve spoken with him several times: he’s very motivated and ready to make a significant contribution to our cause.”
Jansons has signed a one-year contract; he will be the first Latvian in Trentino Volley’s history and will wear jersey number 17.
