The Greek women's national volleyball team has been eliminated from the 2026 European Volleyball Championship after losing 3-0 to Serbia in their quarter-final match in Brno.
Serbia secured victory with set scores of 25-14, 25-20, and 25-17 in a contest that lasted 72 minutes.
Greece entered the decisive fixture under head coach Apostolos Oikonomou already missing Fay Bakodimou, who was sidelined by an injury sustained in their previous match against France.
The loss ends Greece's campaign in EuroVolley 2026, the biennial continental tournament organized by the European Volleyball Confederation. Serbia's victory earns them a place in the semi-finals, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Opening set dominance by Serbia
Serbia took control early in the first set by maintaining disciplined focus and giving Greece no opportunity to establish momentum.
Greece attempted to apply pressure through aggressive serving, staying close in score whenever their serves found their target.
Serbia responded with strong receptions and defensive recoveries to widen the gap. Playing as the nominal home team, Serbia comfortably took the opening set 25-14 to establish an early lead.
Angelopoulou injury and second set fightback
Greece suffered another major injury blow at the start of the second set with the score at 2-0. Angelopoulou fell to the court in severe pain, leaving her teammates weeping as medical staff attended to her.
Despite the emotional shock and squad depletion, Greece remained competitive and leveled the score at 11-11.
Serbia then pushed ahead to lead by two points before building a six-point advantage at 19-13. Greece fought back to reduce the deficit to 24-20, but Serbia closed out the set 25-20 to take a 2-0 lead.
Young Greek lineup in the final set
Greece fielded a youthful lineup in the third set, featuring Tani, Anthouli, Tikmanidou, Giourda, Gravari, Papageorgiou, and libero Xanthopoulou.
The inexperienced Greek side continued to battle against Serbia, one of the premier powers in international volleyball.
Serbian star Tijana Boskovic directed every critical attack in the closing stages. Serbia took the third set 25-17 to wrap up the match in 72 minutes and secure their semi-final berth in Istanbul.
Complete match statistics and box score
Tijana Boskovic led Serbia with 17 points, recording 13 successful attacks from 30 attempts, two aces, and two blocks. Head coach Zoran Terzic saw Uzelac add 15 points, comprising 12 attacks from 21 attempts, two aces, one block, and a 32 percent reception rate with 18 percent rated excellent.
Gocanin contributed 12 points for Serbia with 10 attacks from 21 attempts, one ace, one block, and an 8 percent reception rate. Popovic scored 6 points on four attacks from seven attempts, one ace, and one block. Ognjenovic added 5 points with three attacks from three attempts and two blocks, while Kurtagic scored 2 points from five attacks. Zubic added 1 point from two attacks, with Mirkovic and Milojevic also featuring. Serbian libero Jegdic posted a 42 percent reception rate with 25 percent rated excellent.
For Greece, Tikmanidou scored 9 points with eight attacks from 22 attempts, one block, and a 25 percent reception rate with 13 percent rated excellent. Anthouli also scored 9 points from nine attacks out of 32 attempts.
Giourda added 6 points for Greece off six attacks from 13 attempts, recording a 47 percent reception rate with 27 percent rated excellent. Chatziefstratiadou scored 4 points from five attacks, while Gravari matched that total with 4 points from three attacks out of five attempts and one ace.
Angelopoulou scored 3 points with two attacks from seven attempts and one ace before her injury. Tani added 3 points from two attacks on two attempts and one ace. Papageorgiou, Klepkou, and Antonakaki also saw action, while libero Xanthopoulou registered a 27 percent reception rate with zero percent rated excellent.
Tournament background and venue details
Brno, the host city for the quarter-final, is the second-largest city in the Czech Republic and a frequent venue for major international sporting events. The tournament semi-finals will move to Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and cultural hub.
Serbia enters the semi-finals continuing a long tradition of success in women's European volleyball, while Greece returns home after reaching the knockout rounds of EuroVolley 2026.
