Five moments to remember from the EuroVolleyW 2023
Feature
As 2023 draws to a close, we are looking back towards the best moments of the year in volleyball in the most important European competitions, both for clubs and countries. We are throwing off the yearly review with the best moments of the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Women, a superb competition, which delivered copious amounts of excitement and drama for the fans and players alike.
A magnificent start for a superb competition
The last volleyball event which took place in the Arena di Verona was a match between USA and USSR in 1988, but after 35 years, the luxurious setting, full of history, delivered another vintage match between hosts Italy and Romania, in the opening match of the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Women.
Built in 30 AD, one of the best-preserved structures of its kind, the Arena di Verona was the perfect setting for the opening match of an excellent competition, with 8810 spectators flocking to see their favourites deliver a perfect start of the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Women, taking a 3:0 win over Romania (25:19, 25:19, 25:15).
The pictures and the highlights speak for themselves, as Italy really put up a show in the magical Arena, creating a moment to remember for the future and setting the bar as high as possible for the next openers of the European premium competition, with an outstanding organisation.
Türkiye finally take gold
Türkiye had previously played two finals at the CEV EuroVolley Women, losing both, first in 2003 and the second in 2019. They had also featured in the semi-finals four times, snatching the bronze medal three times and finishing fourth once. Therefore, they were one of the most consistent teams in the competition, but they still missed the key ingredient to be considered a true powerhouse – winning the title.
Eventually, Türkiye did that in emphatic fashion, not only dominating their opponents in the knockout phase of the competition, but winning all nine matches on their way to the trophy, conceding only six sets in the process, in a show of dominance.
Sure, at times, it might have proven difficult for the champions, with four of the six lost sets coming in the semi-final against Italy and the final against Serbia. However, Türkiye proved too strong, taking a 15:6 win against Italy in the decisive set of the penultimate act, while keeping their cool in the last set of the final, which they took 15:13 against Serbia, after leading most of the way.
Commanding Vargas takes centre stage
In their quest for the trophy – the first one in their history – Türkiye relied on Melissa Vargas, the opposite spiker who made her debut for the champions at the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Women and went as far as sealing the MVP trophy, with an outstanding performance, proving to be exactly the key ingredient the team missed over the last years, when they missed out on silverware by a whisker.
Vargas dominated in the win against Italy, with 26 points, being the match’s top scorer with an excellent all-around performance. But in the final, the opposite spiker took it up a notch and provided the performance of a lifetime, being clearly the best player on the court.
Not only Vargas was clutch in the decisive moments of the match, but she also finished the final with 41 points, creating magic out of thin air at times, helping her side win the first trophy, in what proved to be a nearly flawless year for Türkiye. In total, Vargas finished the competition with 201 points, only behind Serbia’s Tijana Boskovic, who had 229 points, but played one set more.
Fantastic performance from the Netherlands
Serbia, Italy and Türkiye were used to delivering fantastic performances in the past years at the CEV EuroVolley Women, but one of the big surprises of the competition was the Netherlands, who sealed a semi-finals berth for the second time in a row, but clinched a medal for the first time since 2017, when they ended as runners-up for the second time in a row.
Sure, it might not look much, but the Dutch side provided one of the best performances in their history, conceding only one loss – just like in 1995, when they won the title, or in 2015, when they were runners-up – while also securing the largest number of wins in a single edition, eight.
The Netherlands also lost only four sets – three against Serbia in the semi-finals – and shocked previous champions Italy in the bronze medal match, taking a 3:0 win (25:23, 28:26, 25:20) to leave them emptyhanded in one of the biggest surprises in the competition.
Excellent TV numbers prove interest in women's volleyball
The CEV EuroVolley 2023 – both the men’s and women’s editions – proved to be a huge hit on TV, with over 400 million individuals reached, thanks to a production staff with over 300 persons involved and with over 100 TV cameras used over the eight venues which hosted the women’s competition.
With 115 TV markets covered and over 50 broadcasters offering the matches in their respective countries, it was proven once again that the European premium competition delivered some amazing results, with the drama and excitement on the court translating well in the fans’ response.