The stakes were higher than ever — group leadership or even a place in the quarter-finals hinged on the outcome of each match. It’s no surprise then that the third day of the continental tournament brought some truly excellent matches, including two standout clashes in the men’s competition. Those who watched — and there were many — could be satisfied with both the excitement and the quality of play.
In the women’s competition, opinions were unanimous: one of the best matches of the European Championship so far was played in the Koltai Jenő Sports Centre of Hungarian University of Sports Science, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The two teams in Group D, both of which had already secured qualification, were the University of Zagreb and Yasar University. The Turkish side had already shown their skill earlier in the tournament and had been one of the surprise packages, but despite a very tight battle, they were ultimately defeated in a five-set thriller by the Croatian team. Yasar had led 2:1 at one point, but in the end, the decisive set went to Zagreb, who won it 15:13.
(Final group standings and detailed statistics available at: results.eusa.eu)
Women’s Competition – Group D
University of Zagreb (CRO) – Yasar University (TUR) 3 : 2
(25:21, 19:25, 19:25, 25:20, 15:13)
University of Minho (POR) – University of Rostock (GER) 0 : 3
(22:25, 17:25, 16:25)
In Group A, the host Hungarian University of Sports Science played a high-quality match against Ovidius University from Constanța. After narrowly losing the first set 24:26, the Hungarian team fought back to win the match 3:1. It was a hard-earned victory, securing them the top spot in the group. Kata Török and Kata Bakai were prolific scorers, and overall, the hosts showed great team cohesion in challenging moments.
Group A – Women
Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUN) – Ovidius University (ROM) 3 : 1
(24:26, 25:17, 25:18, 25:20)
University of Bergen (NOR) – University of Cyprus (CYP) 3 : 1
(16:25, 25:23, 25:21, 25:14)
In Group B, the University of Bologna played like true favourites and secured first place in the group. Corvinus University of Budapest, which had won their opening match, stood no chance of pulling off an upset. Similarly, the University of Wageningen couldn’t match the Estonian team from Tartu.
Group B – Women
University of Bologna (ITA) – Corvinus University of Budapest (HUN) 3 : 0
(25:17, 25:17, 25:20)
University of Wageningen (NED) – University of Tartu (EST) 1 : 3
(23:25, 18:25, 25:11, 14:25)
Group C ended in dramatic fashion. Despite a memorable tournament start, Masaryk University suffered a clear defeat to Turin Polytechnic and finished fourth in the group. In a tightly contested group of four, German Sport University Cologne claimed first place. The biggest disappointment was the Catalan team, which ended up third in the group despite having the same number of points.
Group C – Women
Masaryk University (CZE) – Turin Polytechnic (ITA) 0 : 3
(21:25, 22:25, 21:25)
German Sport University Cologne (GER) – Polytechnic University of Catalonia (ESP) 3 : 1
(25:27, 25:23, 25:13, 25:22)
(Final group standings and detailed data available at: results.eusa.eu)
In the men's competition, the match of the day in Group A was played by the host team Hungarian University of Sports Science, which won a thrilling five-set battle and secured second place in the group, advancing to the quarter-finals. Before the match, many considered the University of Tours to be the favourite, but the Hungarian has their say. The match was a true showcase of university volleyball and sport in general: high-level and unforgettable.
We've noted in previous days how influential Julien Faganas has been for the French side — he again scored 25 points — but this time, Hungary's Balázs Majoros performed even better by scoring 26 points.
In the other Group A match, Nova University Lisbon nearly caused an upset. After losing the first two sets — especially the second in a one-sided fashion — the Portuguese team bounced back impressively, tying the match while playing excellent volleyball. However, it wasn’t enough, as University of Rostock found their top form in the deciding set and overcame the spirited Portuguese side.
Men, Group A
- University of Rostock (GER) – Nova University Lisbon (POR) 3 : 2
(25:19, 25:8, 22:25, 22:25, 15:11) - Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUN) – University of Tours (FRA) 3 : 2
(25:23, 23:25, 25:18, 25:27, 15:12)
In Group B, the match between the University of Porto and Technical University of Dresden decided who would top the group. It was a well-fought encounter, but in the decisive moments, it was the German team that imposed their will. In the match for third place in the group, Babes Bolyai University took three points.
Men, Group B
- University of Porto (POR) – Technical University of Dresden (GER) 1 : 3
(22:25, 25:18, 16:25, 18:25) - Babes Bolyai University (ROM) – University of Zagreb (CRO) 3 : 1
(27:29, 25:18, 25:15, 26:24)
In Group C, the evening match between Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and University of Valencia decided first place in the group — and earned the title of match of the day as well. This one also ended 3:2 and featured the longest set of the tournament so far, with the German team winning the second set 35:33(!). As it turned out, that was just the beginning of an epic encounter.
Men, Group C
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (GER) – University of Valencia (ESP) 2 : 3
(23:25, 35:33, 20:25, 25:15, 10:15)
In Group D, Fenerbahce University of Turkey secured first place with commanding form. In the group-deciding match, they left no chance for the Czech team. Still, the tournament continues, so there's room for all teams to improve — whether in the championship or classification rounds.
Men, Group D
- Fenerbahce University (TUR) – University of West Bohemia (CZE) 3 : 0
(25:18, 25:16, 25:14)
🔗 All results and group standings are available here:
https://results.eusa.eu
📸 Full photo gallery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eusavolley2025/albums
Photo: Zsombor Tóth, Gergely Vidor, Márk Turcsik, Tamás Mihály
