The group stage of the Women's European Volleyball Championship concluded with four matches in Istanbul and Baku. The biggest intrigue remained for the very end – Poland defeated host Turkey after five sets and won Group A, while the Netherlands prevailed over Azerbaijan and finished second in Group C. Slovenia ended with a clean victory against Hungary, and Romania recorded its first win of the championship, which, however, was not enough for a place in the round of 16. After the matches on August 28, the elimination bracket is now definitively formed.
Slovenia – Hungary 3:0 (25:21, 25:19, 25:16)
Slovenia concluded its participation in Group A with a decisive victory and secured third place in the final standings. The team controlled the match, which allowed coach Alessandro Orefice to give playing time to some of the players who less frequently had the opportunity to perform. It was the debutante for the women's national team, Pia Cviic, who scored the last point in the match. The most effective player in the match was Hungarian Anett Németh with 13 points, while for Slovenia, Nika Milošič finished with 11. The Slovenians advance to the round of 16 as the third team from Group A.
Turkey – Poland 2:3 (25:15, 21:25, 22:25, 25:16, 10:15)
The big clash on the last day in Istanbul was to determine the winner of Group A, after both teams entered the match with four wins each. Turkey started strong and took the first set 25:15, but Poland changed the course of the match and won the next two 25:21 and 25:22. The hosts responded with a decisive 25:16 in the fourth and sent the match to a tie-break.
In the decisive set, the Poles made an impressive start and took a 9:2 lead. Turkey tried to get back into the match, but Poland held onto their advantage and closed the tie-break at 15:10. Julia Szczurowska was the big figure for the winners with 26 points, including 2 aces and 1 block. For Turkey, Melissa Vargas scored 21 points, while Hande Baladın and Zehra Güneş added 15 each.
In front of almost full stands at "Sinan Erdem" – 15,814 spectators – Poland achieved its first victory over Turkey at a European Championship since the 2003 final. The success sent the Poles to first place in Group A, while Turkey remained second.

Spain – Romania 0:3 (19:25, 22:25, 20:25)
Romania concluded its participation in EuroVolley with its first victory, after defeating Spain in three sets. In the first part, the difference was only one point at 20:19 for the Romanians, after which they made a series of five consecutive points on Ioana Maria Baciu's serve and closed the set 25:19.
Spain took a five-point lead in the second set, but the Romanians gradually closed the gap and achieved a comeback for 25:22. In the third, Romania again had the advantage and finished the match at 25:20. Rodica Buterez and Ioana Maria Baciu were the top scorers for the winners with 15 points each. Romania finished fifth in Group C with one win and four losses, while Spain remained sixth without a single match won.
Azerbaijan – Netherlands 1:3 (25:15, 16:25, 22:25, 19:25)
The hosts started excellently in front of 5120 spectators at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku and convincingly won the first set 25:15. However, the Netherlands reacted immediately and equalized after 25:16 in the second set.
The third set proved crucial for the development of the match. The Dutch managed to win it 25:22, and then closed the match 25:19 in the fourth. Thus, the Netherlands finished the group stage with four wins and one loss and took second place in Group C. Azerbaijan finished third with three wins and two defeats.

photos:cev.eu