Slovenia delivered a ruthless performance to sweep Serbia 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-22) in the EuroVolley 2026 Round of 16 at Palavela in Turin on Sunday evening, booking a quarterfinal date with Belgium.
The match lasted just 77 minutes and the scoreboard told the story: 75-49 in total points. Slovenia were devastating in the opening two sets, building commanding leads early and never letting Serbia find a rhythm.
In the first set, Slovenia led 8-4, 16-10, and 21-12 before closing 25-14. The second was even more one-sided — 8-1, 16-5, and 21-9 en route to 25-13. Serbia coach Gheorghe Crițu made several changes but nothing disrupted Slovenia's momentum.
Serbia finally showed some fight in the third set, pulling level at 19-19 after trailing for most of the frame. But Slovenia regained control at the crucial moment, pulling clear before sealing the set 25-22 and the match.
Nik Mujanović was the standout with a match-high 14 points, converting 11 of 21 attacks at 52% and adding three aces. Middle blockers Alen Pajenk (12 points, 7-of-8 attacks) and Jan Kozamernik (10 points, five blocks) were equally dominant at the net. Rok Možič contributed 11 points.
As a team, Slovenia posted a 57% attack efficiency — 35 points from 61 attempts — along with 10 blocks and six aces. Serbia had no answer at the net and no reliable scorer in attack: Marko Ivović led with just eight points, while Dražen Luburić managed only two points from eight attempts.
For Serbia, the defeat marks a historic low — their earliest elimination from a European Championship, exiting in the round of 16 for the first time. The Serbs had shown fight in the group stage, coming back from 0-2 down against both the Netherlands and Denmark, but Slovenia gave them no chance to stage another recovery.
Slovenia now face Belgium in the quarterfinals in Turin, with a semifinal spot in Milan on the line.
Sources
- https://worldofvolley.com/latest_news/cev/336721/slovenia-dispatch-serbia-to-reach-eurovolley-last-eight.html
- https://www-old.cev.eu/Competition-Area/MatchStatistics.aspx?ID=85082&setN=0
- https://volleyweek.bg/en/article/27580-Slovenia-crushed-Serbia--the-Blues-for-the-first-time-outside-Europes-Top-8
