Türkiye claim last semi-final spot at #EuroVolleyU17W

The pool stage of #EuroVolleyU17W finished on Wednesday in Vrnjačka Banja and Békéscsaba with Türkiye securing the last spot available in the semis – thus joining Croatia, Italy, and Greece in the race for the medals that is due to unfold later this weekend. 

In Pool I, in a match that would not have changed the destiny of either team, Poland made easy work of Bulgaria with a comprehensive 3-0 victory – a crystal-clear result that only a few had expected. Later in the afternoon, Estonia edged Georgia 3-1 to celebrate their first triumph in the competition and finish the group stage in seventh place, just in front of their rivals from the Caucasus region. Although they had secured their place in the semi-finals already, Italy wanted to end the group stage in style, which they did. After losing the first set 26-28, the young Italian women defeated hosts Serbia 3-1. In the last game of Wednesday’s programme, Croatia confirmed their first place in the group, courtesy of a 3-1 victory over the Netherlands to keep their immaculate record. 

In Pool II, Greece made it seven wins from as many matches after thrashing Germany 3-0. Slovenia’s hopes of reaching the semis were dashed after they lost a dramatic match with France 2-3 thus paving the way for Türkiye, who seized their opportunity to stay in contention for a medal by routing hosts Hungary 3-0 to secure their spot in the semis. Later in the evening, and with not too much at stake rather than their pride, Belgium beat Romania 3-0. 

After a two-day break, on July 22 the competition will resume in Vrnjačka Banja with the semis. In the first semi-final, Croatia will play Türkiye at 3:30 pm, followed by the matchup between Greece and Italy at 6 pm.