The European Women's Volleyball Championship has reached its penultimate stage. Today, at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, the two teams that will contend for the European title will be determined.
Four of the continent's major powers remained in the battle. From 4:00 PM Bulgarian time, the host and reigning European champion Turkey will face Serbia in a repeat of the EuroVolley 2023 final. From 7:00 PM, Poland will play against the Olympic and world champion Italy in a rivalry whose history at European championships dates back 75 years.
Both semi-finals can be watched live in Bulgaria on MAX Sport 2 and bTV Action, as well as online on VOYO.

Turkey – Serbia: a repeat of the 2023 final

The first semi-final could hardly offer more serious intrigue. Turkey and Serbia face each other again three years after the EuroVolley 2023 final, when the Turkish team dramatically won 3:2 and became European champions for the first time. Now Turkey defends its crown in front of its home crowd in Istanbul.
The hosts reached the semi-final after a 3:1 victory over Germany (25:18, 22:25, 25:18, 25:22). This was their second 3:1 success against the Germans in the current championship. Melissa Vargas was once again the key player with 26 points, 12 of which came in the fourth set alone. There were 12,314 spectators in the stands – a sufficiently eloquent hint of the atmosphere Serbia can expect.
Serbia, however, arrives in Istanbul with vast experience in such matches. Zoran Terzic's team defeated Greece 3:0 (25:14, 25:20, 25:17) in the quarterfinals and reached the European Championship semi-finals for the eighth consecutive time. Tijana Bošković scored 17 points against the Greeks, Aleksandra Uzelac added 15, and Branka Tica – 12.
Daniele Santarelli refuses to attach importance to everything Turkey has achieved earlier in the season, including winning the Nations League.
"What we have done so far is worth less than zero. Especially the Nations League is worth less than zero," the Italian specialist stated emphatically before the semi-final.
According to Santarelli, psychology and motivation could prove decisive against Serbia, and the hosts will also rely on the support of the crowd. The Italian specialist expects a "beautiful battle" against an opponent who combines vast experience and serious talent.
The match will also have a Bulgarian refereeing accent. Vanya Parvanova has been appointed as the second referee for the semi-final, after having been the first referee for the Germany – Turkey 1:3 (18:25, 25:22, 18:25, 22:25) quarter-final just two days earlier. The first referee for Turkey – Serbia will be Theodora Kyriopoulou from Greece.

Poland – Italy: 75 years of history and an 8:8 tie

If the first semi-final carries the charge of a very recent rivalry for the European crown, the second has a history that began back in 1951.
Poland and Italy have met 16 times at European Championships, and the balance is absolutely even – 8:8 victories. Even the set ratio shows how close their historical rivalry is – 29:27 for Italy.
The first match was on September 16, 1951, in Paris and ended with a 3:0 victory for Poland. The Polish women won the first five European encounters between the two teams – up to and including 1981, with Italy managing to take only one set during this period.
The change came in 1983 in Cottbus, when Italy recorded its first success – 3:0. From then on, the trend gradually reversed. In the 11 European encounters after the first Italian victory, the "Azzurre" won eight. The more recent statistics are even more conclusive – Italy has seven victories in the last nine European matches against Poland.
Their last meeting at EuroVolley was on September 8, 2019, in Ankara and ended 3:0 for Italy. Interestingly, just ten days earlier in the same championship, Poland won 3:2 – the only one of their 16 European matches that went to a fifth set.
Today, however, Italy enters the match from a completely different position. Julio Velasco's team is the reigning Olympic and world champion and is pursuing the European title, which would complete a kind of "Grand Slam." In the quarterfinals, the Italian women had to overcome their toughest test so far, defeating Sweden 3:1 (21:25, 26:24, 25:21, 25:23). Paola Egonu scored 27 points, and Ekaterina Antropova – 22.
Poland also arrives with increased confidence. The Polish women eliminated the Netherlands 3:1 (25:16, 20:25, 25:20, 25:23), making an impressive 17 blocks. Maja Koput and Magdalena Jurczyk each recorded five. This was also Poland's first victory over the Netherlands at a European Championship since 1983.
For Poland, the stakes are also enormous. This is the team's first semi-final at EuroVolley since 2019, and the country has been waiting for its first European Championship medal since the bronze in 2009.
Santarelli sees a clear favorite in the second semifinal.
"I think Italy is the favorite, a clear favorite," said the coach of Turkey.
According to him, one of Poland's advantages could be less pressure. Italy has been at the top for years and enters every major tournament with the expectation of winning it, while for the Polish women, simply returning among the top four in Europe is already a significant step forward.

Four teams, one goal

Thus, today Istanbul gathers four teams with different histories, but with the same goal. Turkey defends its European crown in front of its home crowd. Serbia seeks revenge for the final lost to the Turkish women in 2023 and its first European title since 2019. Poland is chasing its first European medal in 17 years, and Italy – the European title to add to its Olympic and world crowns.

photo:cev.eu