Anthouli stars as Greece overcome Ukraine in five sets

The second day of Pool B action at CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women may feature only two matches, but the fans in Brno were treated to a true volleyball thriller. Greece produced a stunning comeback against Ukraine in a dramatic five-set battle, with unstoppable Martha Anthouli leading the way with 28 points to secure a 3-2 victory.

Ukraine v Greece 2-3 (23-25, 25-23, 25-12, 22-25, 10-15)

Ukraine and Greece both entered their second Pool B match eager to bounce back after opening-day defeats, with Ukraine particularly determined to respond after their unexpected straight-set loss to Bulgaria. The set started with a tight point-by-point battle, but Greece soon gained momentum through their strong serving. Martha Anthouli opened with an ace (6 points in the set), while Markella Papageorgiou added 2 aces during a strong serving run that helped Greece move to 7-5 and then extend their advantage to 12-7. Greece kept control at 16-7, but Ukraine fought back, led by captain Svitlana Dorsman (6 points, including 2 blocks) and Anna Artyshuk (5), to reduce the gap to 18-16. Greece responded with a three-point run to restore a 21-16 lead, but Ukraine kept fighting and came within one at 24-23 after an ace from Artyshuk. Tikmanidou then closed the set 25-23 for Greece.

The second set was an extremely tight affair, with neither side able to build a two-point advantage until Valeria Nudha served an ace to put Ukraine 12-10 ahead. Greece responded immediately, winning six points in a row with Martha Anthouli putting pressure on Ukraine from the service line to move her team 16-12 ahead. Ukraine refused to give up, with an ace from Oleksandra Milienko (6 points in the set) helping them reduce the gap to 18-17. Greece restored their lead at 23-21, but Ukraine produced an incredible comeback, winning five points in a row. Substitute Viktoriia Danchak proved to be an ace up coach Jakub Głuszak’s sleeve, scoring twice in the decisive stage, including the set-winning point at 25-23.

Boosted by their dramatic comeback in the previous set, Ukraine were unstoppable in the third, delivering an excellent performance and reaching 65% team success in attack. Oleksandra Milienko and Svitlana Dorsman both attacked at 71% efficiency, while Viktoriia Danchak added 50%, with all three contributing five points each as Ukraine raced to a convincing 25-12 win.

But the game was far from over, with Greece refusing to surrender. Powered by Martha Anthouli, who scored 7 points in the set, they raced to a 12-7 lead and continued to build their advantage, reaching 18-9. Ukraine, however, once again showed their fighting spirit, mounting another comeback and cutting the gap from 20-13 to 20-17 with Milienko on serve and Danchak (8 points) playing a key role. This time, though, Greece did not let their lead slip away, closing the set 25-22 after a decisive spike from Anthouli.

The tie-break began as a real battle of nerves, but Greece could once again rely on their scoring machine, Martha Anthouli, who was unstoppable in the decider. After taking an 8-6 lead, the Greeks firmly built their advantage, fighting for every ball as if it were the last. Anthouli added nine points, including seven kills at 70% success, as Greece held their nerve to prevail 15-10.

Anthouli topped the scoring charts with 28 points, including 24 kills at 41% success, two blocks and two aces. For Ukraine, Viktoriia Danchak, who came off the bench in the second set, finished with 18 points.