Ukraine and France advance to the Final Round of #EuroVolleyU16M

The third day of the Second Round of #EuroVolleyU16M has come to an end. In Pool C, all matches have now been played, and today both games ended in straight sets: France and Ukraine secured dominant victories over their opponents Slovakia and Serbia. Once again, Andrii MERKULOV was the top scorer for the yellow-and-blue with 14 points. The Ukrainians gained a psychological advantage by winning a crucial first set that extended to 30 points. After that, Slovakia couldn't shift the momentum or put up strong resistance.

For the French team, the standout player was Yann-Arthur BASTARD, who scored 16 points. Les Bleus completed the second round with two wins and one loss, finishing second in the pool and securing their spot in the Final Round, along with Ukraine, who emerged as the clear leader of Pool C.

In Pool E, there's a fierce battle for first place: Greece and Italy have both secured two wins and no losses so far. A similar situation is unfolding in Pool D, where Hungary and Slovenia are in the lead. The most thrilling match of the day was between Bulgaria and Latvia in Pool A, which went to five sets to determine the winner and group leader. Mihail MIHAYLOV was the key contributor for Bulgaria, scoring 22 points. Spain also solidified its status as Pool A leader with a second victory, this time over Azerbaijan.

The Second Round will continue for one more day as teams keep fighting for a spot in the final stage of the tournament, which will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from July 23 to August 3, 2025. The five second-round pool winners, along with the five runners-up, will progress to the Final Round, joined by the best two third-placed teams across all pools. These teams will meet the hosts Armenia and the three first-round zonal qualifier winners (Türkiye, Poland, and Czechia), whose matches were completed late last year or earlier this year.

Matches in Groups A, C, and E are streamed on Eurovolley.tv.

Follow the second-round matches of #EuroVolleyU16M to see which teams can confirm their favourite status and who will make it to the final stage of the tournament!