Eurovolley2023: Poland and Italy to semifinals! Serbia and The Netherlands eliminated after two dramatic battles

After the two games played yesterday in Varna, Bulgaria, and in which Slovenia down Ukraine and France eliminated Romania, the other two Quarterfinals were played today at PalaFlorio in Bari, Italy.

In an electrifying match, Poland triumphed over Serbia 3-1, securing their spot in the CEV EuroVolley 2023 semifinals.
The intense game, which lasted as many as 130 minutes, had these scores: 26:28, 25:15, 36:34, and 25:17.
Under the command of coaches Nikola Grbić and Igor Kolaković, both teams showcased an exceptional volleyball played at very high level.
Serbia initially led with a 1-0 score, also thanks to two consecutive errors in attack by star Wilfredo Leon, demonstrating their resilience.
However, the decisive moment in the third set changed the game’s trajectory: Serbia held four set points, but it was Poland who seized the opportunity on their ninth attempt, taking the well-deserved lead at 2-1.
The momentum continued also in the fourth set, which remained tight until 8-8. But then Poland accelerated, pushing the score to a heavy 15-11 and later even 18-13. At the end they secured the set at 25-17, celebrating their 3-1 victory at.
Looking at numbers, Lukasz Kaczmarek led Poland with 21 points and 55% in attack, supported by Wilfredo Leon’s 19 points and Aleksander Sliwka’s 13. But decisive were also the 15 winning blocks, 5 more than rivals.
For Serbia, Drazen Luburic closed the game with 19 points, while Miran Kujundzic closely followed him with 18.
Poland now will face Slovenia in semifinal scheduled on Thursday, in Rome.

| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

On the other exhilarating clash of the day, defending champions Italy faced off against an amazing Netherlands.
The showdown did not disappoint, with Italy narrowly edging out the rivals 3-2 (19:25, 25:17, 25:16, 23:25, 15:12), ensuring their spot in the EuroVolley semifinals.
Italy and the Netherlands, both great names of European volleyball, played a game with lot of emotions.
Although Italy faced the early loss of Roberto Russo due to an ankle injury already in first set, the team demonstrated resilience, making a strong comeback.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, heavily relied on the formidable performance of bomber Nimir Abdel Aziz, who scored an impressive amount of 31 points with a 58% success rate in attacks, while Italy’s Alessandro Michieletto scored 22 and 21 points respectively.
With this significant win, Italy proudly boasts their sixteenth entry into the European Championship’s top four bracket.
In semifinals they’ll face France at PalaLottomatica in Rome on Thursday, 14th September.

| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
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🏐| CEV EUROVOLLEY 2023 | Quarterfinals

September 11, 2023 | Palace of Culture and Sports | Varna 🇧🇬
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Ukraine 3-1 (25:17, 31:29, 21:25, 25:23)
• 21.00 (Local Time) | France – Romania 3-0 (25:22, 25:14, 27:25)
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👉🏼September 12, 2023 | Palaflorio | Bari 🇮🇹

• 18.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Serbia 3-1 (26:28, 25:15, 36:34, 25:17)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH