Poland, Italy, Belgium make it three straight wins at #EuroVolleyU18M

The third day of #EuroVolleyU18M pool action showed that all participating teams, from first to last, are more competitive than ever and all equally determined to advance to the next round – or at least to seal a spot in next year’s U19 World Championship. Poland, Italy, and Belgium currently boast a perfect record of three wins in as many matches. 

Pool I in Porto San Giorgio 

In the first match of the day, Slovenia returned to winning ways after Wednesday’s loss to Poland, defeating Iceland with a resounding 3-0 (26-24, 25-14, 25-18). Poland look like the strongest team in the group so far. Coach Jacek Nawrocki’s players secured their third win in as many matches with a 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-17, 25-15) shutout of Türkiye. This was the third defeat in a row for the Turks in the pool. Finland versus Serbia was a truly spectacular match. The Finns prevailed in the final tie-break after being up two sets to none. The final score was 3-2 (25-23, 25-19, 17-25, 23-25, 15-13). To close the evening, Italy secured their third consecutive victory in front of their home crowd, thanks to a resounding 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-18) win over Greece. Libero Andrea Rizzo said: “We are happy with our performance. There are still some small areas where we need to improve, but we are slowly getting better. Playing in this arena with this jersey is just an incredible feeling!” 

Pool II in Cisterna di Latina 

Belgium continue their strong run in Pool II where they sit in first place in the standings with three wins. After edging Germany and the Netherlands, the young Red Dragons also defeated Romania, led by their wonder duo, Evan Dubru (23 points) and Ferre Van Pelt (18 points). The two once again made the difference, especially in decisive moments, demonstrating the maturity of veterans. Romania did their part, playing a great second set and staying in the match until the end (25-22, 13-25, 25-20, 27-25). 
Belgium coach Wim De Boeck: “First place in the pool after three matches is a good result, but we still have a long way to go. This group is very balanced, and anything can happen: tough matches await us, and we must remain highly focused. So far, our mental strength has been our biggest asset: the group works hard, and leaves nothing to chance. We must continue like this, knowing that the toughest matches are coming up now.” 

Against the Netherlands, Bulgaria regained their winning ways, putting their defeat against Germany on Day 2 behind them. The young Lions are back in contention for a spot in the semis. For the Oranjes, it was almost a last resort: Matt van Wezel’s boys showed no shortage of character, saving a match point in the third set and eventually winning it 26-24. In the fourth set, the Dutch played at a high pace, even giving the impression they could reach a tie-break. Towards the end of the set, however, the talented Bulgarians prevailed over the Dutch determination.

Reigning U18 European champions France beat Czechia and earned three crucial points for the standing of the pool. The defeat to Bulgaria in their opening match was a distant memory, as the Bleus showed quality Volleyball, with Antonin Bonnard finishing as their top scorer with 21 points. Against the Czechs, however, it was not a walk in the park: in the fourth set, Jan Svoboda’s team wasted three set points (with as many service errors) that would have allowed them to go to a tie-break; France, for its part, responded by taking the match. 

The final match of the day brought the first points for Spain. The Iberians beat Germany in four sets (25-21, 24-26, 25-23, 25-17), leaving the bottom of the standings. The first three sets were very evenly matched, with Spain leading. In the fourth set, the Germans gave up, losing faith, and Fredison Mosquera’s team moved straight toward the goal, led by their strongest player, opposite hitter Roger Monzo Luengo, the top scorer on the night with 21 points.