Czechia prevail over Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria make strong starts to EuroVolley campaign in Brno
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An action-packed Friday gets CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women underway in Brno, with three exciting match-ups on the first day. Serbia made a strong start, defeating Austria in dominant fashion as the Austrians returned to the EuroVolley stage after a 55-year wait. Later, Bulgaria upset Ukraine, coming back from six points down in the opening set to prevail in straight sets. In the final match of the day, hosts Czechia prevailed 3-1 over Greece, delivering plenty of drama for their home crowd.
Austria v Serbia 0-3 (17-25, 9-25, 21-25)
The opening Pool B match in Brno brought together three-time EuroVolley champions Serbia and Austria, who were making their long-awaited return to the European stage after 55 years. With Uzelac on the service line, the team led by coach Zoran Terzić quickly raced to an 8-1 lead. Austria fought hard for every ball, but Serbia kept the pressure on, with Tijana Bošković leading the way with 8 kills at 73% efficiency. Mina Popović and Hena Kurtagić also made their presence felt at the net, contributing 3 and 2 blocks respectively. Austria refused to give up, with Carmen Raab serving an ace and her team saving three set points, but Serbia eventually closed out the opener 25-17.
Serbia showed no signs of slowing down in the second set, quickly pulling away and continuing their confident performance. Maja Ognjenović, who alongside Eda Erdem is celebrating a historic 10th EuroVolley campaign, made full use of the weapons around her as Serbia raced to a 16-4 lead. With her team firmly in control, coach Zoran Terzić used the opportunity to make several changes, including replacing Ognjenović with Sladjana Mirković. Serbia maintained their dominance until the end, closing the set 25-9 after an outstanding 79% success rate in attack.
Coach Terzić continued to rotate his squad, giving almost all of his players an opportunity to step onto the court. The changes gave Austria a chance to close the gap, as they fought their way back to 13-12. Anamarija Galic led the Austrian response, producing 7 points at an impressive 88% success rate, while Branka Tica and Vanja Ivanović took charge for Serbia with 5 and 4 points respectively. However, Serbia remained composed when it mattered most, regaining control in the decisive moments and closing the set 25-21 with a spike from Hena Kurtagić.
Tijana Bošković remained Serbia’s top scorer with 11 points after two sets, followed by Hena Kurtagić and Aleksandra Uzelac with 9 apiece. For Austria, Anamarija Galic also reached 11 points.
Hena Kurtagić“We are so happy that we could start our EuroVolley campaign with such a win and that we started in the best possible way. I’m really happy because the crowd here was amazing. We stayed focused from the beginning until the end. We know we have to give 100% in every game and on every point, so we have to stay focused and handle every point in the best possible way.”
player of Serbia
Dana Schmit“The positive side is that we showed that we can play against a team like Serbia. They are, for sure, a better team than us. It’s not the easiest way to start the tournament, but we also showed that we can compete against the best teams in Europe and that we deserve to be here. I think we did quite well at some moments, so now we need to take all this positive energy into the next games.”
player of Austria
Bulgaria v Ukraine 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-20)
The clash between Bulgaria and Ukraine was expected to be a closely fought battle, and the opening set quickly lived up to those expectations. Tsvetelina Ilieva opened the match with a powerful spike and soon emerged as one of Bulgaria’s key players. The teams traded points early on, but with Daria Sharhorodska on the service line, Ukraine broke away from 11-10 to 15-10 and appeared ready to take control. Bulgaria, however, refused to let the set slip away. Working impressively at the net and collecting (6 points from blocks in this set), the Bulgarians launched a stunning comeback (from 13-19) with Aleksandra Milanova on serve. They levelled the score at 20-20 before a block from Ilieva (5 points in this set) put them in front for the first time at 21-20. The battle remained intense until the very end, but Bulgaria held their nerve to take the opener 25-23.
Both sides started the second set highly motivated, producing a fierce point-by-point battle filled with great plays. For a moment, Ukraine, powered by Anna Artyshuk (5 points), built a three-point lead at 14-11, but Bulgaria responded immediately, with two aces from Mikaela Stoykova helping them level the score. Keeping the momentum and working effectively at the block, Bulgaria moved ahead 18-15. Ukraine, however, refused to surrender and continued to fight back, closing the gap to 22-20. Bulgaria remained focused, with Stoyanova scoring 7 points in the set and helping her team earn a series of set points at 24-21. Guncheva then finished it off with a powerful spike, giving Bulgaria the set 25-23.
With two sets under their belt, Bulgaria were highly motivated to complete the job in straight sets. Despite struggling in reception, Marcello Abbondanza’s side remained highly effective in attack, with Aleksandra Milanova leading the way with 7 points in the set. She was well supported by Tsvetelina Ilieva and Stoyanova as Bulgaria maintained control and closed out the set 25-20.
Stoyanova finished as Bulgaria’s top scorer with 14 points, including 10 kills, 3 aces and 1 block, while Milanova followed just one point behind. For Ukraine, Anna Artyshuk led the scoring with 9 points.
Mikaela Stoyanova“It was very, very important for us to start with a win, especially against Ukraine, because the first game is always very important. I’m glad that we managed to do everything tactically that we had to do, and it led us to the win. The moment in the first set when we were six points down was difficult for us, but it was also important for the team to help each other. When one player cannot do something, another player has to step in — and that’s exactly what we do as a team: we help each other.”
player of Bulgaria
Svitlana Dorsman“We didn’t expect to play like that today, and I hope we never play like that again. We don’t have much time to think about it now, so I hope that tomorrow we can show what we’re capable of. We just have to forget about today, focus on the next match, and get back to doing our job the way we know we can.”
team captain of Bulgaria
Greece v Czechia 1-3 (14-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20)
The highly anticipated clash between hosts Czechia and Greece brought the opening day in Brno to a close. It has become something of a EuroVolley tradition for the two sides to meet in the pool stage, with the same fixture also taking place at the previous two editions with Czechia under head coach Giannis Athanasopoulos. In front of a passionate home crowd, Czechia made a flying start, racing to a 5-1 lead with Helena Grozer on the service line. Monika Brancuska, who scored 6 points in the set, and Ela Koulisiani (3) were particularly effective, helping the hosts extend their advantage while the block proved another key weapon. Greece tried to respond with some strong plays of their own, including an ace from Georgia Angelopoulou (3 points in the set), but Czechia remained firmly in control at 19-11. An ace from Bara Rejmanova brought the set to a close at 25-14.
The first-set defeat did little to discourage Greece, who came out strongly in the second, racing to a 5-0 lead with captain Lamprini Konstantinidou on the service line, powerful spikes from Martha Anthouli and solid work at the net. Although Greece maintained their advantage at 10-6, the hosts gradually reduced the gap to 11-9. Greece then found their rhythm again, restoring a 17-13 lead and continuing to put pressure on Czechia with their serve. Anthouli was particularly effective, scoring 8 points in the set, as Greece moved 21-16 ahead. Czechia responded with Helena Grozer on serve, winning four consecutive points to cut the deficit to just one at 21-20. A thrilling finish followed, but Greece held their nerve, with Elpida Tikmanidou (3 points) producing the decisive spike to close the set 25-23.
The hosts were determined to put the previous set behind them and made a flying start, using excellent serving and strong work at the net to race to a 7-2 lead. Czechia remained firmly in control throughout the set, extending their advantage to 16-8 and never allowing Greece back into the contest. Monika Brancuska led the charge with 7 kills at 44% success, while Ela Koulisani added 4 and Helena Grozer 3. Grozer then put the finishing touch on the set, serving an ace to seal it 25-15.
The fourth set opened with another tight battle, with the teams level at 4-4. Czechia then gained momentum with Magdalena Jehlarova on the service line, racing to a 7-4 lead. Greece refused to give in, fighting for every rally and repeatedly finding ways to close the gap. The pattern continued throughout the set, but when the hosts moved 18-14 ahead, they finally managed to create enough distance to hold off the Greek challenge and close the match in four sets.
Monika Brancuska topped the scoring charts with 23 points, including 22 kills at 45% efficiency and one block. Ela Koulisani added 14 points, five of them from blocks, while Georgia Angelopoulou led Greece with 17 points.