Seven teams complete European League opening weekend with impeccable record

As many as nine teams completed the first weekend of action in the men’s European League with two wins from two matches. Three of these teams –Latvia, the Netherlands and Estonia – have not conceded a single set in their respective fixtures this far. Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Sweden achieved the same feat in the women’s competition – as the European League represents not only a springboard for emerging teams and players, but has much higher value compared to previous editions as it provides for the first time ever a direct pathway to secure qualification for the CEV EuroVolley 2028.  

Hungary is among the few teams with a perfect record of two wins and no sets lost at all in the women’s competition following their matches with Portugal and North Macedonia played in Vila do Conde. Their head coach Alessandro Chiappini was obviously satisfied with the way things developed there: “Considering the tournament as a whole, we know how important every single match is for us. I believe we made it to Portugal with great focus, and I am very satisfied with the way the team prepared itself to be competitive. The players responded very well in these first two matches. Everyone had the opportunity to step onto the court, and every time we made substitutions, the players reacted really well. This is one of the most important things we are looking for, because this period is also about that. We can still consider this a preparation phase, even though we are already competing in an official tournament. We need more time to put all the pieces together, but considering where we started, we can be satisfied. Personally, I am very happy and proud of the way the team approached and arrived at this first tournament weekend.”

Elsewhere, after losing to Slovakia on Friday, Team Austria secured their first victory in the CEV European League in their second match of the opening weekend. The hosts showed the desired response on Sunday in Schwechat, convincingly defeating Iceland 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-23). Top scorers were Kora Schaberl and Anamarija Galic, each with 15 points. Austria dominated the first two sets, giving outsiders Iceland little chance. Iceland rallied in the third set, but the hosts held their nerve and converted their first match point after 74 minutes for a well-deserved victory. This win, secured in front of a home crowd, was the hoped-for redemption after the 0-3 loss to Slovakia at the start of the competition. 

Austria head coach Roland Schwab said: “In the first and second sets we were very dominant and played really well offensively. In the third set we made a few too many errors and it became a close battle. In the opening two sets we showed that we have built a solid foundation to be the dominant team against nations ranked below us. After that, it was about finally closing out a tight set, and we managed to do that today. We served well and were solid in reception. Above all, we were very dominant in attack and blocking.”

Kora Schaberl, joint top scorer of the match: “Friday’s match was a disappointing performance because we did not show our game. That made us even more motivated today. We wanted to put on a good show for our home crowd, and I think we achieved that.”

Marie-Kristin Bruckner, outside hitter of Austria: “We can be satisfied. We had high expectations against Iceland, and this was a match we really had to win. The atmosphere within the team is good, and everyone is very happy about the victory. At the next tournament in Switzerland, we will go all out again.”

Over to the men’s competition, after losing to competition favourites Czechia on Friday, Hungary bounced back to beat Norway on Sunday doing so in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-18), much to the delight of the 500 fans that had come together in Kecskemét. “I am happy that so many spectators came to watch the matches. The fans could see that this is a very dynamic team, aggressive in the positive sense of the word, and one that wants to show what it is capable of. I am not disappointed because of Friday’s match; I only regret that after such a strong start and such a good first set, our game fell apart a little faster than it should have,” commented head coach Péter Nagy. “Nevertheless, we did many good things despite our mistakes. Norway is a very strong team – they even managed to take a set from the Czechs. Even so, we stepped onto the court with great belief and determination. We were able to maintain that throughout the entire match, even when we made mistakes. I am sure that we can draw a great deal of strength and confidence from this victory, and we will certainly need that in the matches ahead.” 

Also on Sunday, Austria’s men suffered a surprising 1-3 defeat to Montenegro on the last day of competition at the Multiversum Schwechat, where the visitors prevailed 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-20. The result came as a surprise especially given Austria’s recent record against Montenegro. The ÖVV squad had won all four friendly matches between the two teams in 2025. Following the opening 1-3 loss to tournament favourites Finland, Austria was aiming to secure its first victory of the European League season. Instead, Montenegro delivered a strong performance, putting the hosts under constant pressure, particularly with their serves. After dropping the opening set, Austria responded well in the second and levelled the match at 1-1. However, in sets three and four, the home side struggled to find answers to Montenegro’s service pressure and attacking game. Austria’s top scorers were Lukas Glatz with 21 points and Paul Buchegger with 18.

Setter Maximilian Thaller expressed his frustration in an ORF interview after the match: “I’m frustrated. At times we weren’t bad, but they served with tremendous pressure. We couldn’t find an answer, and we also allowed too many points down the line. There’s not much time to dwell on it because we are heading straight to Estonia. This match was a warning that we need to execute our tactics more clearly.”

Sebastian Sablatnig also credited the opponent: “Congratulations to Montenegro, they played very well and made life difficult for us in reception. It’s frustrating, also for the fans. The arena was full on Friday and very well attended again today. In the second set, we showed the level we are capable of reaching. We show it in training; now we have to show it on the court during matches as well.”

Austria head coach Adam Swaczyna identified Montenegro’s serving as the key factor: “There is a lot of work to do. They served extremely well and hit aces at crucial moments. We couldn’t stop them. The difference was their serving. We have to learn from this and keep moving forward. We will make full use of every training session before we go to Estonia.”

The competition will resume next weekend with another nine and eight tournaments for men and women, respectively. The top four sides at the end of the League Round will progress to the semis and automatically secure their participation in the CEV EuroVolley 2028.