From medicine to EuroVolley history: Papageorgiou helps Greece dream bigger
Feature
Greece’s Cinderella story at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women continues. On Sunday, the Hellenic side swept France in straight sets to reach the EuroVolley quarterfinals for the first time in history. One of the key figures behind Greece’s remarkable run is Markella Papageorgiou - not only an outstanding middle blocker, but also a qualified doctor of medicine.
In their eighth EuroVolley appearance, Greece have emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest revelations. They have already defeated higher-ranked opponents in the pool stage before eliminating France in the eighthfinals, all while overcoming challenges and multiple injuries along the way.
One of the Greek heroes has been 26-year-old middle blocker Markella Papageorgiou, who is competing at her first EuroVolley. So far in the tournament, she has contributed 61 points, including 14 blocks and seven aces. She was also one of Greece’s standout performers against France, recording a perfect 7/7 in attack across the first two sets.
Markella Papageorgiou“We did dream about it. We never stopped dreaming, but we didn’t expect such a big improvement or to play this well. But you never know before you play. Game by game, we started to play better and better, and now we are really, really happy to be in this historic quarterfinal. It’s the first time for us and for our country.”
The EuroVolley journey has so far resembled a Cinderella story for Greece, and Papageorgiou points to two matches that have been particularly important in helping the team believe in what they can achieve.
“For sure, our eighthtinal match was an amazing game, but also the match we played against Bulgaria was, in my mind, perfect, because it was against a team that we didn’t think we could beat. We didn’t really expect to win, but we did, and that was the first step towards believing in ourselves and starting to dream more and more. For now, those two matches are the best memories I have with the national team - but I hope there is more to come.”
Papageorgiou can also serve as a role model for many young athletes. Alongside her Volleyball career, she pursued a dual career in one of the most demanding fields of study, graduating in medicine and becoming a licensed doctor — although she is not yet practising.
“I finished my studies almost three years ago. Now I’m not practising. I have my licence, but I couldn’t combine practising medicine with professional Volleyball. I hope that in the future I will be able to do it. The studies take six years, but I finished them in seven because I was playing and studying at the same time. It was definitely very difficult, especially in the final years. I felt under a lot of pressure because of time, and combining my studies with playing for the team was a real challenge. But I had two goals: one was to complete my studies, and the second is what is happening right now. I’m trying to stay positive and get better every day.”
Her Volleyball journey began far away from the biggest arenas of Europe, on the Greek island of Samos, where she grew up.
“I’m from a small Greek island called Samos. I started playing there at school, a little bit by accident. One of my friends went to play Volleyball and she said, ‘Let’s go,’ so we went together. That’s how it started and how I fell in love with the sport. When I started university, I moved to Athens and began playing more professionally because there were more opportunities and possibilities there than on my small island. That’s how my Volleyball story developed.”
Since the 2025/26 season, Papageorgiou has played for Panathinaikos, with whom she reached the Challenge Cup final. Now, however, she is writing another chapter of history with the national team. When asked about her sporting dreams, she admits that simply living the present moment already feels special.
Markella Papageorgiou“I’m really happy with the present moment. I’m playing for the club I always dreamed of playing for, and I’m a member of the national team, which was also one of my dreams. Of course, winning a medal with the national team would be more than a dream, but I know it’s really difficult. However, you never know. Every year, I’m trying to reach something bigger. There isn’t one specific goal that I have to name — I just want to keep moving step by step and reaching higher.”
On Wednesday, Markella Papageorgiou and Greece will lock horns with Serbia once again - this time with a ticket to the EuroVolley semifinals at stake. It will be another opportunity for the Hellenic side to challenge one of Europe’s most decorated teams and continue a journey that has already exceeded many expectations. For Papageorgiou, whose path has taken her from a small island in Greece to medical school, professional volleyball and now a historic EuroVolley quarterfinal, the dream is still very much alive. Greece have already proved that they belong among the tournament’s best - and with every victory, their Cinderella story continues to grow.
