Belgium and Slovenia complete EuroVolley quarterfinal line-up
Recap
The final two quarterfinal places at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men were up for grabs in Torino on Monday, and Belgium and Slovenia seized them in convincing fashion. After dropping the opening set against Czechia, Belgium stormed back to win 3-1, turning their eighthfinal clash into a block party with 15 points at the net. Ferre Reggers led all scorers with 24 points, while captain Sam Deroo provided crucial firepower as Belgium booked their first EuroVolley quarterfinal since 2017. Later in the day, Slovenia outclassed Serbia in straight sets to claim the final quarterfinal ticket. Belgium and Slovenia will now face each other on Wednesday.
Belgium vs Czechia 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 25-14, 25-15)
Belgium, winners of Pool C in Tampere, were aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2017. Czechia, meanwhile, had finished fourth in the highly competitive Pool A in Modena but were determined to show that their pool position meant little in this eighthfinal battle. Czechia made a flying start, playing with confidence in attack and recording an impressive 78% success rate in the set. Patrik Indra and Antonín Klimes led the way, while the Czechs also applied pressure with their block (scoring four points in this element) to race to a 10-5 lead. Belgium, led by Ferre Reggers, who scored five points in the set, tried to spark a comeback. Aces from Stijn D’Hulst and Reggers brought the Belgians twice within two points at 11-9 and 15-13, but Czechia responded immediately on both occasions, restoring their advantage with an almost flawless performance to move 14-9 and then 17-13 ahead. With Czechia firmly in control at 21-16, captain Patrik Indra continued to lead the charge, finishing the set with an impressive nine points at an 80% success rate in attack.
The second set began with a fierce battle, as Belgium stepped up their blocking game and continued with powerful spikes through Ferre Reggers and Sam Deroo. Czechia responded through Patrik Indra and Lukáš Vasina, keeping the teams locked at 13-13. Belgium finally created some breathing room when Reggers put the Czech defence under heavy pressure from the service line to help his team move 17-13 ahead. Captain Sam Deroo then took charge, becoming Belgium’s leading scorer with eight points, including seven kills, as the Belgians stayed in front at 24-21. Czechia refused to give up and fought back to level the score at 24-24. However, two costly errors in the closing rallies handed Belgium the set 26-24, allowing the Belgians to level the match.
Belgium carried their momentum into the third set, once again making their block a key weapon (five in the set). Powered by the duo of Ferre Reggers and Sam Deroo, the Belgians moved 11-7 ahead as Czechia appeared to lose some of their confidence. Head coach Jiri Novak responded with a few changes to his line-up, but Belgium remained firmly in control at 16-12. The Belgians continued to dictate the pace and closed out the set 25-14 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Reggers led Belgium’s scoring with seven points in the set, while Deroo added four.
With a place in the quarterfinals within reach, Belgium made a flying start to the fourth set. Samuel Fafchamps put Czechia under pressure from the service line, delivering two aces in his run as Belgium raced to an 8-3 lead. The Belgians continued to dominate at the net, extending their advantage to 11-5 with their block. From that point, Belgium were firmly in control, confidently pushing towards the finish at 17-10, while Czechia struggled to rediscover their rhythm. Ferre Reggers was on fire, scoring eight points in the set, including three blocks, and his third killing block sealed the set 25-15 and sent Belgium into the EuroVolley quarterfinals.
Reggers topped the scoring charts with 24 points, including 18 kills at a 53% success rate, four blocks and two aces. He was followed by Sam Deroo with 17 points. For Czechia, Patrik Indra and Lukaa Vašina contributed 14 points apiece, but it was not enough to keep their team alive.
Ferre Reggers“It means a lot to us. We came here to reach this stage of the tournament. It wasn’t always easy because we had some fall-downs in level, but we showed that we are a strong team and that we can get out of these lower stages. At the beginning, Czechia started very aggressively, as we expected. We waited a little bit, but it’s not easy to play against such an experienced team. In the end, we just let them go and started to play our game. We didn’t watch their side; we focused on ourselves. After a while, you feel your game, you know where the ball is going to go and what the spikers will do, and I think we read this game really well.”
player of Belgium
Slovenia vs Serbia 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-22)
Slovenia and Serbia had not met at EuroVolley since the 2019 final, but the two teams have faced each other regularly on the global stage and in friendly matches. Their eighthfinal clash in Torino marked their sixth encounter this summer, following their VNL meeting and four friendly matches.
Slovenia, with Klemen Čebulj back in the squad as a medical joker, made a flying start, racing to a 7-3 lead after an ace from Jan Kozamernik, who also made his presence felt at the net alongside Alen Pajenk - delivering two killing block apiece. Putting Serbia under constant pressure from the service line and dominating at the net (85% success rate), Slovenia extended their advantage to 13-7. Serbia tried to respond through Dražen Luburić and Marko Ivović, but Slovenia remained firmly in control. Nik Mujanović was among their leading scorers, and his service run, including two aces, helped the Slovenians race to 20-11. Serbia head coach Gheorghe Crețu responded with several changes to his line-up, but Slovenia confidently closed out the set after a spike from Rok Možič, who scored four points in the opener.
The bronze medallists from the previous edition made another flying start, with Alen Pajenk at the service line as Slovenia raced to a 5-0 lead. Jan Kozamernik stood out in both attack and at the net, while Slovenia completely dominated the court, extending their advantage to 10-2 and then 16-5. Serbian head coach Gheorghe Crețu responded by almost entirely changing his line-up in an attempt to bring fresh energy to the court. Serbia managed to win a couple of rallies, mainly through spikes from Veljko Mašulović, but could not turn their improved play into a sustained run. Slovenia remained firmly in control and closed out the set 25-13 to move within one set of the quarterfinals.
After the change of ends, Slovenia initially took control at 6-3, but Serbia, keeping their changed line-up on court, quickly fought back. Marko Ivović’s service run helped the Serbians level the score before a spike from Veljko Mašulović put them 9-8 ahead. A tense point-for-point battle then unfolded, with the atmosphere in Palavela growing with every rally. An ace from Alen Pajenk gave Slovenia a two-point advantage at 17-15, but Serbia refused to give in, levelling once again at 19-19 after a block from Aleksandar Nedeljkovic on Jan Kozamernik. Kozamernik responded immediately, and together with Nik Mujanović, helped Slovenia win the next rallies and restore their advantage at 23-20. The Slovenians held their nerve to close out the set 25-22 and complete a straight-set victory, booking their place in the quarterfinals.
Mujanović topped the scoring charts with 14 points, including 11 kills at a 52% success rate and three aces. He was followed by Pajenk with 12 points, Rok Možič with 11 and Kozamernik with 10, including five blocks. For Serbia, Marko Ivović led the scoring with eight points.
Jan Kozamernik“It’s amazing. We are really happy that we managed to win this game like this, especially 3-0. We also wanted to save some energy for the quarterfinals. We expected a difficult game, and in the third set we saw that they can play. They came back and took the lead, but we showed character, and that’s the most important thing. We want to grow from this game and improve our level compared to the previous matches. I think today we did a great job.”
player of Slovenia
