Ukraine, one of Bulgaria's rivals in the group stage of EuroVolley 2026 in Sofia, is showing good form just days before the start of the European Championship.
The team led by Raul Lozano recorded a second consecutive victory at the friendly tournament in Tallinn, after decisively defeating Slovakia 3:0 (25:18, 25:23, 25:19).
The Ukrainians started the tournament with a 3:1 win over Latvia, and against Slovakia, they did not allow their opponent to win a single set.
The Slovaks took a 4:2 lead at the beginning of the first set, but Ukraine responded with four consecutive points and gradually took control to reach 25:18.
Slovakia offered the most serious resistance in the second set. The team led for most of it and had an 18:17 advantage, but the Ukrainians made a comeback in the decisive rallies and won 25:23. In the third set, Lozano's team controlled the events on the court and closed the match at 25:19.
Today, Ukraine will have its last warm-up match before EuroVolley against the host Estonia. The match in Tallinn is at 7:00 PM Bulgarian time.
After the tournament, the Ukrainians will head to Sofia, where they will play in Group B along with Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal, Israel, and the Republic of North Macedonia.
Ukraine begins its participation in EuroVolley on September 10 against Israel, and on the very next day, they face the Republic of North Macedonia. On September 12, at 7:00 PM, comes the clash with Bulgaria in "Arena 8888 Sofia."
For our national team, the match with Ukraine will also be their third in the tournament. Bulgaria opens the European Championship on September 9 at 7:00 PM against the Republic of North Macedonia, on September 11 at 7:00 PM they play Portugal, and a day later they face the Ukrainians.
Thus, the two teams will meet early in the group stage, and Ukraine's performance in Tallinn shows that Bulgaria's opponent arrives in Sofia with accumulated confidence and good results in their recent warm-up matches.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov