After a day of rest, the European Universities Volleyball Championship resumed at full speed
Following Thursday’s day-off, the European Universities Volleyball Championship continued on Friday in Budapest with exciting, high-stakes matches as the knockout phase got underway. The host institution, the Hungarian University of Sports Science (TF), saw its women’s team advance to the semi-finals, while TF’s men’s team will play for places 5–8.
It’s clear that both the teams and the fans are starting to settle into the main venue of the championship, the Jenő Koltai Sports Centre, a facility truly worthy of hosting a continental tournament for university volleyball. On the fifth day of the tournament, Friday, the state-of-the-art venue welcomed a growing number of visitors—likely because, following the group stage, both the women’s and men’s competitions moved into the placement rounds and knock-out phase for positions 1–8, 9–14, and 9–16.
Alongside the large and enthusiastic crowd—especially strong in the evening—it was great to see that the players gave it their all regardless of the stakes. The passionate audience and fans of the sport were the true beneficiaries of this commitment. Particular attention was paid to the upper-bracket men’s and women’s quarter-finals, which delivered intense, high-quality battles fitting of a European Championship.
Let’s take a look at what happened on this action-packed Friday!
Men’s Competition
In the men's quarter-finals, Rostock faced Valencia. The German team had finished at the top of their group with a flawless record, while Valencia had only managed a single win in their three-team Group C. However, that didn’t mean much at this stage, as anything can happen in the knock-out phase: it all comes down to a single match.
Both teams started strong: Rostock took the first set 25:23, and Valencia bounced back with an identical 25:23 win in the second. The third set was just as thrilling and close: the Germans edged it 28:26. The Spaniards ran out of steam by the fourth set and couldn’t keep the match tight: Rostock advanced to the semi-finals with a 3:1 victory.
The match between Fenerbahçe and Porto was more straightforward: it ended in a 3:0 win for the Turkish side. That said, the Portuguese team didn’t go down without a fight: Fenerbahçe won the first two sets by just two points each (25:23, 25:23). By the third set, however, the Portuguese side had visibly faded: the final set ended 25:17. Fenerbahçe will face Rostock in the semi-finals.
The evening's highlight was the clash between Karlsruhe and the host team, the Hungarian University of Sports Science (TF). It quickly became evident that there was not only a height difference but also a significant gap in skill – in favour of Karlsruhe. Still, the home team held their own: they stayed close throughout the match. Nonetheless, it was clear that Karlsruhe had superior power and ability: they earned a deserved 3:0 victory and a place in the semi-finals.
The last quarter-final of the evening was a nail-biter: Dresden and Czech side West Bohemia went head-to-head in a marathon, neck-and-neck match that was only decided in the fifth, final set. The set scores were 25:23, 22:25, 25:23, 21:25, 15:13. Dresden emerged victorious: 3:2, and will now face Karlsruhe for a place in the final.
The winners will move on to the semi-finals, the losing teams will battle for places 5–8.
As for placements 9–14: two matches were played. According to the tournament structure, teams were divided into two groups of three. In Group E Zagreb faced Luigj Gurakuqi, with the Croatians winning a close match 3:2. In Group F Lisbon defeated Bergen with a confident 3:0 win.
Quarter-finals
Upper Bracket (teams in bold advanced to the semi-finals)
- University of Rostock (Germany) – University of Valencia (Spain) 3:1 (25:23, 23:25, 28:26, 25:20)
- Fenerbahçe University (Turkey) – University of Porto (Portugal) 3:0 (25:23, 27:25, 25:20)
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) – Hungarian University of Sports Science (Hungary) 3:0 (25:22, 25:19, 25:22)
- Technical University of Dresden (Germany) – University of West Bohemia (Czech Republic) 3:2 (27:29, 23:25, 25:19, 25:16, 15:10)
9–14th Place Matches
Group E
- University of Zagreb (Croatia) – Luigj Gurakuqi University (Albania) 3:2 (25:23, 22:25, 21:25, 25:21, 15:9)
Group F
- Nova University Lisbon (Portugal) – University of Bergen (Norway) 3:0 (25:20, 25:13, 25:15)
Women’s competition
In the upper bracket, the Hungarian University of Sports Science (TF) faced Torino for a spot in the semi-finals. The Italian side reached the quarter-finals without an especially convincing performance: it’s fair to say they qualified with a bit of luck. A good omen for the Hungarians was that they had beaten Torino comfortably at the previous European Championship two years ago.
The first set didn’t go as expected: although the teams went head-to-head, after over 40 minutes, the scoreboard showed a 1:0 set lead for the Italians. After that, TF found its rhythm: the Italians began to tire, and the hosts won the next three sets relatively comfortably. The final score was 3:1 in favour of TF, meaning head coach Zoltán Jókai’s team reached the semi-finals. For the home side, Kata Török stood out with 23 points: the highest individual score of the match.
In the other morning quarter-final, unbeaten Köln tried to continue its strong form against Ovidius. The Romanians took the first set, the Germans responded in the second, but then Ovidius stepped up and won the next two sets convincingly, earning a 3:1 win and a spot in the semi-finals.
The match between Zagreb and Tartu ended in a straightforward Croatian victory: 3:0. Although the Estonians kept things tight in the first set, the difference in quality became clear in the second and third: Zagreb advanced to the semi-finals, where they will face the host TF.
The day’s most thrilling women’s match was between Bologna and Yasar: two teams clearly among the top four in the tournament. In the end, the Turkish side emerged victorious. Yasar won the first two sets with difficulty, and it seemed like the match was decided, but Bologna mounted a comeback from the brink of defeat. In the decisive fifth set, however, Yasar regained control and secured the win: 3:2. Two outstanding individual performances deserve mention: Fontemaggi scored 26 points for Bologna, and Cevik tallied 21 for Yasar. In the semi-finals, Yasar will meet Ovidius.
The winners moved on to the semi-finals: the losing teams will play for places 5–8.
In the lower bracket, the third- and fourth-place group finishers were matched in a mini-knockout round. For 9–12th place two quarterfinals were played. Masaryk (Czech Republic) faced Rostock, and Corvinus took on the University of Cyprus. The Czech team secured a straightforward 3:0 victory, while Corvinus allowed their opponent just one set, winning 3:1. The winners will now play for 9th place, the losers will compete for 11th.
For 13–16th place two exciting semi-finals took place, showing that even in the lower bracket, teams gave their all. Bergen defeated Wageningen 3:2, and Minho narrowly overcame the Catalan University with the same score: 3:2. The winners will battle for 13th place, the losers for 15th.
Quarter-finals
Upper bracket (teams in bold advanced to the semi-finals)
- Hungarian University of Sports Science (Hungary) – Turin Polytechnic (Italy) 3:1 (25:27, 25:14, 25:19, 25:14)
- German Sport University Cologne (Germany) – Ovidius University (Romania) 1:3 (18:25, 25:17, 16:25, 14:25)
- University of Zagreb (Croatia) – University of Tartu (Estonia) 3:0 (25:21, 25:16, 25:13)
- University of Bologna (Italy) – Yasar University (Turkey) 2:3 (22:25, 23:25, 26:24, 25:15, 11:15)
Quarter-finals
Lower bracket
For 9–12th Place
- Masaryk University (Czech Republic) – University of Rostock (Germany) 3:0 (25:18, 25:22, 25:22)
- Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary) – University of Cyprus (Cyprus) 3:1 (19:25, 25:21, 25:21, 25:17)
For 13–16th Place
- University of Bergen (Norway) – University of Wageningen (Netherlands) 3:2 (25:22, 22:25, 18:25, 25:22, 15:11)
- University of Minho (Portugal) – Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain) 3:2 (18:25, 25:17, 15:25, 25:23, 15:11)
Full results and knockout stage matchups can be found here: https://results.eusa.eu/
Photo gallery is available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eusavolley2025/albums/