Slovenia complete Pool A journey with emphatic win over Hungary
News
On Friday afternoon, the last day of Pool A action in Istanbul, Slovenia completed their journey in the group stage of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women with an emphatic 3-0 shutout of Hungary, thus securing third place in the final standings. With the match full under control of his side, their head coach Alessandro Orefice provided his sub-in players with an opportunity to feel the rhythm of the game and to have a better understanding of what EuroVolley feels like. Later in the day, heavyweights Türkiye and Poland will battle for first place in Pool A – with both teams boasting an impeccable record of four wins in as many matches this far.
Slovenia vs. Hungary 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-16)
Slovenia completed their Pool A journey in style as they secured third place in the group after a 3-0 victory over Hungary. This is a repeat of the result they had achieved back in 2023 when these teams – albeit with very different rosters – had locked horns in the EuroVolley pool stage as well. While back in 2023, that was Slovenia’s only victory in the tournament, their team has developed so much that they have become a real force to reckon with and have now progressed to the knockout stage for the first time since the 2019 edition.
Hungary, no more in contention for a spot in the next phase of the competition, did use this match as an opportunity to test some of their younger players – including twins Anna and Eszter Zsombok, born in 2009, and bronze medal winners from this year’s #EuroVolleyU18W. Slovenia’s head coach Alessandro Orefice used his sub-in players as well, with Pia Cvijic – who is playing with the senior national team for the first time in Istanbul – scoring the final point that sealed their 3-0 victory. With many substitutions on both sides of the net, only two players – Anett Németh (13) and Nika Milosic (11) – chipped in with double-digit figures.
Eva Pavlović Mori“It was important to finish the group stage with a victory. We have achieved our first goal – to finish third in the pool. We still do not know who we will be playing next – but we take many positives from today’s win and the group stage overall. Some of our substitute players got to play today – they have been cheering us on since the start and they deserved this opportunity. Women’s Volleyball in Slovenia is on the rise, with more players competing in foreign leagues and everyone is pushing hard.”
Setter of Team Slovenia