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Slovenia is the final team to advance to CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 quarterfinals after a commanding straight-sets sweep over Serbia in the Round of 16: 25:14, 25:13, 25:22, ending the match in just 77 minutes.
The 75–49 total-points margin reflected Slovenia’s dominance, particularly during the opening two sets.
The result also brought a historic early exit for Serbia, who will not feature among the top eight teams at a European Championship for the first time. Their campaign came to an abrupt end in the round of 16, despite having already demonstrated their resilience during the pool stage with comebacks from two sets down against both the Netherlands and Denmark.
Slovenia established control almost immediately. They led 8–4, 16–10 and 21–12 in the opening set before closing it out 25–14. The second set was even more one-sided, with the Slovenians racing ahead 8–1, 16–5 and 21–9 on their way to a 25–13 finish. Serbia finally managed to stay within touching distance in the third, trailing 15–16 and 19–21, but Slovenia remained composed and completed the sweep at 25–22.
Nik Mujanović led all scorers with 14 points, with 11 successful attacks from 21 attempts and three aces, while Slovenia’s middle blockers also made a decisive contribution: Alen Pajenk scored 12 points, converting seven of his eight attacking attempts, while Jan Kozamernik added 10 points, including five blocks.
Rok Možič left the court also in double
digit with 11 points.
Slovenia’s efficiency at the net was one of the defining features of the match. They converted 35 of 61 attacks for 57% efficiency and added 10 blocks and six aces, consistently putting Serbia under pressure both offensively and from the service line.
Serbia struggled to find a reliable attacking reference. Marko Ivović finished as the team’s leading scorer with just eight points, followed by Aleksandar Nedeljković on seven and Veljko Mašulović on six.
Dražen Luburić endured a particularly difficult evening, scoring only twice from eight attacking attempts. After the Slovenians had built an unbridgeable advantage in the first two sets, Serbia could not produce the response needed to force a longer contest.
Slovenia now move into the quarterfinals in Turin, where they will face Belgium for a place in the semifinals in Milan. For Serbia, meanwhile, EuroVolley 2026 ends with an unexpected round-of-16 elimination and a straight-set defeat in which they were competitive only during the final stages.
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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | ROUND OF 16
Saturday September 19, 2026
📍Arena 8888 Sofia
•16.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Latvia 3-0 (25:17, 25:16, 25:16)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Germany – Bulgaria 3-2 (21:25, 21:25, 25:19, 25:23, 15:12)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
Sunday September 20, 2026
📍Palavela Torino
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Greece 3-2 (22:25, 25:16, 22:25, 25:23, 15:13)
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Denmark 3–0 (25:22, 25:16, 25:11)
📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Romania 0-3 (22:25, 21:25, 28:30)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | France – Portugal 3-0 (25:21, 25:22, 25:21)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
Monday September 21, 2026
📍Palavela Torino
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Czech Republic 3-1 (20:25, 26:24, 25:14, 25:15)
👉🏼 21.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Serbia 3-0 (25:14, 25:13, 25:22)
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