Czechia and Greece punch their tickets to the EuroVolley eightfinals

The race for the highly coveted tickets to the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women Eight Finals is heating up. In Brno, Greece became the second team, after unbeaten Serbia, to secure their place in the last 16, earning their third victory with a 3-1 win over Austria and matching their best-ever EuroVolley result. Later, hosts Czechia followed suit, defeating Ukraine 3-1 in front of a passionate home crowd to book their place in the knockout stage.

Greece vs Austria 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-14)

Greece started their EuroVolley campaign on a high note with victories over Ukraine and Bulgaria, and another win would already qualify them to the round of 16, which would mark only the second time in their history that they had progressed beyond the pool stage after 2019. Austria, meanwhile, were chasing a milestone of their own as they looked to secure their first victory of a campaign that marked their return to the European Championship after 55 years. 

Kora Schaberl set the tone from the very beginning with an excellent serving run that helped Austria race to a 4-0 lead. The early momentum carried the Austrians to a commanding advantage at 14-7 and later 19-11. Schaberl was the driving force behind her team’s performance, scoring 9 points in the set, including two aces, one block and six kills. Greece eventually began to find their rhythm and reduced the gap to 22-18, but Austria did not allow the opportunity to slip away. A block from Carmen Raab sealed a 25-20 victory and Austria’s first set win of the tournament.

Losing the opener proved to be a wake-up call for Greece, who immediately raised their level and raced to a 7-3 lead. Austria fought back and, led by Carmen Raab and Anamarija Galic, even levelled the score at 10-10, but Greece responded with another run of points to regain control. Martha Anthouli once again spread her wings, firing seven kills in the set to help Greece move 21-16 ahead. Markella Papageorgiou and Eirini Chatziefstratiadou also made important contributions, adding four points apiece, including one ace each. Greece remained composed to close the set 25-18 and level the match.

Greece kept the momentum going in the third set, racing to an 8-3 lead and taking complete control of the court. Their strong serving, which produced four aces, and solid work at the net, with four blocks, left Austria struggling to find an answer. Every Greek player contributed as they maintained full control, extending the advantage to 21-9 before closing the set emphatically 25-12.

Austria refused to surrender, and the fourth set began with another tight battle that remained level at 10-10. Greece then found another gear with Martha Anthouli on the service line, racing to a 16-11 lead. From there, they never looked back, maintaining control until the end and closing the match 25-14 after a long spike from Schaberl.

Anthouli topped the scoring charts with 20 points, including 16 kills at 46% efficiency and four aces. Erini Chatziefstratiadou added 13 points, including three blocks, while Schaberl led Austria with 14.

Czechia vs Ukraine 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21)

Czechia were chasing their third win of the campaign, which would secure their ticket to the eightfinals, and from the very beginning they made it clear they wanted to get the job done in style. The hosts raced to a 5-0 lead, immediately igniting the crowd at Brno Exhibition Centre, and continued to build their advantage, reaching 14-8 with powerful attacks from Helena Grozer, who scored 6 points in the set, and Monika Brancuska, who added 4. Whenever Ukraine tried to find their rhythm, their efforts were quickly halted by a strong Czech block, with Magdalena Jehlarova leading the charge with three stuffs. An ace from captain Michaela Mlejnkova extended the hosts’ advantage to 21-13, and Czechia remained firmly in control to close the set 25-17.

Ukraine did not get discouraged, visibly raising their level as they opened the second set on a much stronger note. They kept pace with the hosts at 7-7 before taking a three-point lead at 10-7, with spikes from Oleksandra Milenko (4 points in the set) and Anna Artyshuk (6) leading the charge. Czechia responded immediately, putting pressure on Ukraine from the service line through Monika Brancuska and finding success at the net to level at 12-12. Ukraine, however, quickly restored their advantage at 19-15, making the block their main weapon (4 killing stuffs). The hosts lost their rhythm as Ukraine gained confidence, and Yuliia Dymar sealed the set 25-21 to level the match.

Both sides were eager to make a strong start to the third set, producing a thrilling point-by-point battle in the early stages. Czechia began to build momentum midway through the set, moving 15-13 ahead before extending their advantage to 21-15 with Katerina Valkova on the service line. Monika Brancuska was on fire, scoring 8 points in the set as the hosts continued to apply pressure. Ukraine, led by Anna Artyshuk, tried to launch another comeback and cut the deficit to 21-18, but Czechia withstood the pressure. Brancuska then delivered the finishing touch herself, closing the set 25-19 with a decisive spike.

After a fierce battle at the start of the fourth set, Czechia began to build momentum, taking a 10-8 lead following blocks from Ela Koulisiani. Ukraine quickly erased the deficit, however, and the two sides continued to trade points in a tense battle. The turning point came with Pavla Smidova on the service line, including an ace, as Czechia put together four consecutive points to move 18-14 ahead. Ukraine refused to surrender, cutting a 20-15 deficit to 20-18, but with the home crowd behind them, Czechia showed nerves of steel in the decisive moments and closed the match 25-21 to book their place in the eightfinals.

Monika Brancuska topped the scoring charts with 21 points, including 20 kills at 47% efficiency and one block. Helena Grozer added 14 points, with 12 kills and two blocks, while Anna Artyshuk led Ukraine with 18.