Poland, Bulgaria, and France seal #EuroVolleyU18M semi-final spot

After completion of six rounds in pool play, Poland (Pool I) plus Bulgaria and France (Pool II) have secured their spot in the #EuroVolleyU18M semi-finals, with Italy and Slovenia fighting for the last place among the top four of the competition. One final day of action remains on Wednesday to complete the grid for the semis.   

Pool I in Porto San Giorgio 

Team Poland made it six wins in a row in Pool I as they opened the programme on Tuesday with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-11) shutout of Greece in yet another show of strength. With this result, Poland also secured first place in the group with one match to spare. Later in the afternoon, Serbia beat Türkiye 3-1 (25-23, 27-25, 23-25, 25-15) for their second victory in the competition, even though they are out of contention for a spot in the semis. Underdogs Iceland remain the only team with zero wins. Finland beat their Nordic opponents 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17) to improve their record to 3-3. Later in the evening, Italy secured their fifth win in six matches, thereby taking second place in the current standings. The Azzurrini recorded a 3-1 (28-30, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20) win to leapfrog Slovenia in the standings. The top scorer of the evening was Italian opposite hitter Diego Bussolari, with 20 points, followed by Slovenian captain Ozbi Slatinšek with 19. 
Tommaso Gallinella commented: “It was definitely a very difficult and close match, as we always played point for point. We showed great character. I am happy with this result. Up until now, we have been taking it one match at a time. We take this result with pride, but now we are focusing on tomorrow.” 

Pool II in Cisterna di Latina 

Both Bulgaria and France have qualified for the semis with one round to spare. Germany defeated the Netherlands 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-15) in a one-sided match where the young Oranjes seemed to have surrendered mentally. Bulgaria delivered yet another show of strength, winning the third consecutive match without losing a set (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) as they eased past Czechia to seal their spot in the semis. The Czechs put up a fight to stay in contention but in the decisive moments, as in their previous matches, the young Lions demonstrated not only technical quality and physical strength, but also a strong mentality. The game’s top scorer was Nikola Gradinarov (14 points).
Bulgaria coach Miroslav Zhivkov: “Mentality is the team’s strength, I repeat it once again. Once we finish a match, we immediately focus on the next one. The only time we did not do that, after winning our opening match against France, we suffered a negative result. The defeat against Belgium served us as a lesson; we learned a lot from that, and we have not made any mistakes in our mental approach to our matches ever since. We are happy to have reached the semi-finals with a round to spare, but we are keeping our feet on the ground.” 

Later in the day, France did their job, defeating Romania 3-1 (28-30, 25-16, 25-20, 25-18) and advancing to the semi-finals. Having nothing left to lose, Romania played their game to the best of their ability, taking the first set from their opponents. However, after that, France looked in full control. In the final match of the day, Spain defeated Belgium in four sets (16-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22). After losing the first set badly, the Spanish side changed the pace and imposed their game, led by their best player, opposite hitter Roger Monzo Luengo, who once again topped the scoreboard with 25 points. 

Daniele Sottile and Wout Wijsmans, former stars of the game, were both present at the Cisterna Sports Hall on Tuesday. 

Daniele Sottile: “Competition has increased, and this is the result, among other things, of the work done by Italian coaches working abroad. Italy has been a driving force. In youth Volleyball, technique is certainly important, and now physicality has become dominant, but to reach the top, you need a lot of mental strength.” 

Wout Wijsmans: “This event is demonstrating how Volleyball continues to grow internationally. In my era, when I was the age of the boys who take to the court here, this level of organisation did not exist, except for Italy and Poland; in the rest of Europe, people tried, but failed. I am talking about the staff, the way young people are supported, physically and mentally, monitored, and managed: all important factors that lead to fewer injuries and greater quality. Even at this age, the boys are trained comprehensively, with the goal of improving in all fundamentals, not just in their specific positions. This group is very evenly matched, with some promising young players, certainly not ready for the senior level just yet, but destined to achieve important results. Mentally, the staff is working hard today to prepare them for a professional career in the sport. There is so much potential, and the ups and downs are certainly part of this age group, which is normal. Furthermore, we are talking about U18s who are having a new experience. But overall the level is really high.”