Poland keep rolling as Israel unable to disrupt their EuroVolley charge. Ukraine silence Sofia

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Poland continue to move through CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 with the confidence of a team that knows exactly where it wants to go.
On Saturday in Sofia, Nikola Grbić’s side produced another authoritative performance, sweeping Israel 3–0 (25:16, 25:17, 25:18) without ever allowing their opponents to build enough momentum to turn the match into a contest.

Poland established the tone immediately. Aggressive serving, precise reception and a highly efficient first-tempo attack helped them race into a 7-1 lead and maintain complete control throughout the opening set. And the gap already grown to 16-8, with Poland that closed the set in just 23 minutes.
Shay Liberman was Israel’s most productive player in the opening frame with six points, but Poland simply had too many answers. Their attack operated at 62% efficiency, backed by 64% positive reception, compared with 45% and 52% respectively for Israel.
Kamil Semeniuk led the Polish scoring in the set with five points as Poland converted their superior all-round game into a 25-16 lead.
The second set followed a similar script, although Israel managed to stay within reach for longer periods.
Poland moved ahead 14-7 and continued to dictate the rhythm, with their presence at the net becoming increasingly influential. Grbić’s team recorded three blocks in the set, limiting Israel’s attacking options and preventing any sustained comeback.
Neither side found the same attacking efficiency as in the opener, but the difference remained clear. Poland still reached 56% attacking efficiency, while Israel struggled at 31%. Seven Israeli errors also contributed to Poland’s comfortable progress, with the European powerhouse eventually moving two sets clear at 25-17.
Israel made its best start of the match in the third, staying close at 5-4 and briefly suggesting that the final set could offer a different story.
It did not.
Tomasz Fornal and his teammates gradually took control again, increasing the pressure at both ends of the court and closing out the match without drama at 25-18.

The final numbers reflected Poland’s superiority. They finished with 60% attacking efficiency against Israel’s 38%, while also holding a 64%-47% advantage in positive reception. Poland won the blocking battle 8-4 and also served three aces to Israel’s one.
Fornal led Poland with 10 points to his name, but Shay Liberman finished as the match’s top scorer with 14 for Israel.

For Poland, the bigger picture is what matters. Another clean sweep, another convincing display and another step forward in a tournament in which Grbić’s team continues to look increasingly difficult to disrupt.

In front of more than 12,000 fans at Arena 8888 Sofia, Bulgaria and Ukraine produced a match full of momentum swings, but it was Ukraine who kept their composure when it mattered most, beating the hosts 1-3 (23:25, 22:25, 25:21, 21:25).

The opening set immediately delivered the expected battle. Simeon Nikolov and Aleks Nikolov both found the service line to help Bulgaria establish an 8-6 lead, but Ukraine responded through Oleh Plotnytskyi: the captain began putting serious pressure on the Bulgarian reception, adding key aces as his team turned the score around and moved 15-12 ahead.
Bulgaria, lifted by the noise from the home stands, fought back to level at 18-18. Ukraine, however, proved more disciplined in the closing exchanges. Bulgaria committed nine errors in the set compared with six from their opponents, and Ukraine took full advantage. Plotnytskyi led all scorers with six points, while Vasyl Tupchii added four at an impressive 80% attacking efficiency as Ukraine took the opening set.

The second set followed a similar pattern, although Ukraine gradually gained control through a combination of disciplined play and relentless serving.
After the teams remained level at 5-5, Bulgaria’s errors began to accumulate and Ukraine moved ahead 8-6 before extending the advantage to 14-10. Simeon Nikolov briefly reignited the home side with an ace that brought Bulgaria within one point at 13-14, but Ukraine immediately restored its control.
Plotnytskyi and his teammates reached 23-19, and although Bulgaria produced a late three-point run to close the gap, Ukraine held firm to take the set.
The statistics underlined an intriguing difference between the teams. Bulgaria actually edged Ukraine in attacking efficiency, 56% to 52%, but the visitors dominated from the service line with four aces to one. More importantly, Bulgaria gave away 11 points through errors, more than twice Ukraine’s total of five.

With their backs against the wall, Bulgaria finally found the response their home crowd had been waiting for.
The hosts opened the third set 8-5 ahead, and although Ukraine stayed close at 9-8, Bulgaria began to play with greater confidence. The introduction of Preslav Petkov and Asparuh Asparuhov brought additional energy and stability, with Petkov scoring to make it 11-9 before Simeon Nikolov produced a smart play at the net for 13-11.
A long rally then went Bulgaria’s way, extending the lead to 15-11 and shifting the momentum decisively. The hosts were now much more efficient in attack, reaching 58% compared with just 32% for Ukraine, while their reception climbed to 75% positive. For the first time in the match, Bulgaria looked fully in control and claimed the set to stay alive.

But Ukraine had one more answer.

The fourth set began as another close battle, with the teams level at 4-4 before Aleks Grozdanov’s block put Bulgaria 6-4 ahead. Neither side could establish a significant advantage, and service errors kept the score tied at 7-7.
Then came the turning point.
Ukraine edged ahead 10-8, and Plotnytskyi took over from the service line. The Ukrainian captain produced three consecutive aces, transforming an 8-10 deficit into a commanding 12-8 lead and effectively breaking the match open.
Bulgaria attempted one final comeback in front of its home crowd, but Ukraine had already seized control. The visitors closed out the fourth set and secured a 3-1 victory, leaving the packed Arena 8888 Sofia stunned.

Aleks Nikolov finished as Bulgaria’s top scorer and the match leader with 27 points to his name through 51% in attack, 1 block and 2 aces, while Plotnytskyi led Ukraine with 23, 53% in attack and as many as 7 aces!
Bulgaria actually finished ahead in attacking efficiency, 55% to 48%, and also won the blocking battle 9-4.
The decisive difference came from the service line — and from discipline.
Ukraine finished with nine aces to Bulgaria’s five and committed just 22 errors throughout the match. Bulgaria, by contrast, gave away 40 points through errors, a costly margin that ultimately outweighed their advantages in attack and blocking.

Plotnytskyi summed up Ukraine’s approach after the match: “Our victory today came down to solid serve reception and our execution on high balls. We were simply the better team today, though on any other day, I’m not sure we could win like this. We are definitely happy, but our success really relied on high-ball attacks — which usually isn’t our strongest suit — and strong serving. Bulgaria serves exceptionally well; at times, I couldn’t even see the ball coming.”

Martin Atanasov offered a similar assessment from the Bulgarian side: “Ukraine performed exceptionally well in serving and blocking today. We served well too, but they handled our service pressure much better in reception and were far more effective on high balls. We simply weren’t as efficient in attack as we usually are as a team. We struggled to cope with their powerful serves — that was the ultimate deciding factor today.”

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Saturday, September 12, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
16.00 (Local Time) | PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Sweden – Czech Republic 2–3 (22:25, 23:25, 25:23, 25:17, 13:15)
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Greece – Italy 0-3 (23:25, 23:25, 16:25)

🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 6
2. Czech Republic 5
3. Slovenia 3
4. Sweden 1
5. Slovakia 0
6. Greece 0

👉🏼POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
16.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Israel 3-0 (25:16, 25:17, 25:18)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
19.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Ukraine 1-3 (23:25, 22:25, 25:21, 21:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Ukraine 9
2. Poland 6
3. Bulgaria 6
4. Israel 0
5. Portugal 0
6. North Macedonia 0

POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 15.00 (Local Time) | Denmark – The Netherlands 3-0 (25:17, 25:20, 25:20)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Finland 2-3 (25:23, 20:25, 19:25, 25:23, 10:15)

🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 5
2. Belgium 4
3. Serbia 3
4. Denmark 3
5. Estonia 0
6. Netherlands 0

POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
17.00 (Local Time) | France – Türkiye 3-0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:20)
20.00 (Local Time) | Romania – Germany 2-3 (22:25, 23:25, 25:22, 25:15, 13:15)

🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Germany 8
2. France 6
3. Romania 3
4. Latvia 3
5. Türkiye 0
6. Switzerland 0

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NEXT GAMES: Sunday, September 13, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
16.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Sweden
21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Slovakia
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
16.00 (Local Time) | Portugal – Israel
19.00 (Local Time) | North Macedonia – Poland
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
15.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Denmark
18.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Serbia
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
17.00 (Local Time) | Switzerland – Türkiye
20.00 (Local Time) | Latvia – France

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👀|QUICK LINKS
• EuroVolley 2026 – Calendar
• EuroVolley 2026 – All News
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