Artyshuk shines as Ukraine cruise to first win, Uzelac leads Serbia past Bulgaria

Ukraine’s long-awaited first victory at CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women opened the fourth day of Pool B action in Brno. Led by an outstanding all-around performance from Anna Artyshuk, Ukraine delivered a dominant straight-set victory over Austria to get their campaign back on track. Later on Monday, unbeaten Serbia strengthened their position at the top of Pool B with a straight-set win over Bulgaria, who raised their game in the third set before Aleksandra Uzelac stepped up when her team needed her most.

Ukraine vs Austria 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-12)

Both Ukraine and Austria entered the court searching for their first victory of the EuroVolley campaign. Although the teams had never met before at the European Championship, Ukraine could boast a perfect record against Austria in other competitions. Austria made the better start, taking a 4-1 lead, but Ukraine quickly turned the momentum around, moving 7-5 ahead and then extending their advantage to 15-9 after an ace from Svitlana Dorsman. Anna Artyshuk was on fire, scoring nine points, including six kills at 60% efficiency and two blocks. Her ace gave Ukraine a string of match points at 24-13, and the Ukrainians closed the set 25-15 after dominating across all elements.

The second set had a competitive start, with Ukraine gaining a slight advantage before Austria immediately responded to level the score at 7-7. An ace from Kora Schaberl, who scored 4 points in the set, then moved Austria 11-9 ahead. It proved to be a wake-up call for Ukraine, who quickly stepped up and began putting Austria under heavy pressure from the service line. Serving runs from Milenko (15-12), Diana Meliushkyna (18-14) and Anna Artyshuk helped Ukraine race to a 23-15 lead before closing the set 25-15. Artyshuk remained the leading force with 7 points, strongly supported by Valeriia Nudha and Meliushkyna with 4 apiece, as Ukraine moved 2-0 ahead after just 45 minutes of play.

Ukraine were determined to finish the job and made a strong start to the third set, quickly racing to an 8-4 lead. Artyshuk remained their main attacking force, adding five more points before being substituted. With Ukraine firmly in control at 16-5, coach Jakub Głuszak took the opportunity to rotate his squad, but the hosts of the set remained firmly in control and eventually closed it 25-12.

Artyshuk finished the match with an impressive 21 points, including 14 kills at 50% efficiency, four blocks and three aces. She was followed by Valeriia Nudha with nine points and Diana Meliushkyna with eight, including four blocks. For Austria, Kora Schaberl led the scoring with nine points.

Serbia vs Bulgaria 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-20)

Serbia and Bulgaria are no strangers to each other, having met regularly on the international stage and holding a 3-4 record against one another at EuroVolley. Serbia also won their VNL clash earlier this year in straight sets, but coach Zoran Terzić showed no intention of underestimating Bulgaria, starting the match with his strongest lineup. The set began competitively, with Bulgaria keeping pace through Iva Dudova and Tsvetelina Ilieva, who scored 5 and 6 points respectively in this set. Serbia gradually took control behind powerful attacks from Tijana Bošković (4 points) and Aleksandra Uzelac (8). An ace from Ilieva helped Bulgaria cut the gap to 13-11, but Serbia then shifted into another gear. With Uzelac on serve, they raced to a 20-13 lead and never looked back, closing the opener 25-18, despite several changes in the lineup.

Coach Terzić again opted not to take any risks, sending out his strongest starting six for the second set. With Maja Ognjenović on serve, including an ace in the run, Serbia quickly raced to a 6-0 lead. Bulgaria struggled to find an answer to the visitors’ flawless play as Serbia extended their advantage to 12-4. Some good plays from Iva Dudova sparked a three-point run for Bulgaria, cutting the gap to 12-7, but they could not sustain the momentum. Serbia, meanwhile, shifted through the gears again, with Uzelac on serve helping them race to an 18-10 lead. With the set firmly under control, Terzić once again rotated his squad, replacing Ognjenović, Bošković and Kurtagić - who had already produced an impressive six blocks in the set - with Sladjana Mirković, Anja Zubic and Ljubica Milojević. Serbia closed the set comfortably at 25-14.

Serbia remained without Ognjenović and Bošković for the third set, resulting in a more competitive start. The visitors gradually regained control, moving 10-5 ahead, but then Bulgaria caught them napping. With Elena Kolarova on serve and strong work at the net, Bulgaria cut the deficit to one before an ace from Kaya Nikolova levelled the score at 18-18 and put the hosts 20-18 ahead. Serbia responded immediately, led by Aleksandra Uzelac, who showed nerves of steel and scored 7 points in the set to guide her team through the decisive moments. Serbia regained control and closed the set 25-20 to complete the straight-set victory.

The statistics confirmed Uzelac’s outstanding performance as she topped the scoring charts with 18 points, including 15 kills at 48% efficiency, two blocks and one ace. Vanja Ivanović added 8 points, while Hena Kurtagić contributed 7 — all from blocks. For Bulgaria, Iva Dudova led the way with 12 points.