Serbia W vs Greece W

The second set was where the match was decided. After a competitive first set (25-22), Serbia’s block and serve completely dismantled Greece’s attack in the second. Greece managed only 8 kills on 30 attacks (27% efficiency) and never recovered. Serbia’s 13-4 advantage in blocking points across the match neutralised Greece’s primary scoring threat, Martha Evdokia Anthouli, who was held to 12 points on 35% attacking efficiency.

Tijana Bošković (Serbia) — Player of the Match: A match-high 20 points, including 17 kills at 55% efficiency, one block and two aces. Bošković was the go-to option in every critical moment, converting 7 break points.

Hena Kurtagić (Serbia): 12 points, including 5 kills at 63% efficiency and 1 ace. Her presence at the net (7 blocks for the team when she was on court) disrupted Greece’s rhythm.

Aleksandra Uzelac (Serbia): 12 points, adding 9 kills and a crucial service run that extended leads in the second and third sets.

Martha Evdokia Anthouli (Greece): A team-high 12 points for Greece, including 9 kills and 3 blocks, but Serbia’s blocking and serving pressure kept her efficiency below her tournament average.

Effrosyni Bakodimou (Greece): 10 points on 9 kills and a block, with the highest reception share for Greece (28 attempts, 61% positive).

The raw scoreline (75-53 total points) tells a story of control, not a flurry of mistakes. Serbia’s 13-4 blocking advantage was the single biggest statistical separator — nearly three times as many stuffs. Serbia also served more aggressively (6 aces vs 1, with 5 errors vs 4), a calculated risk that paid off. In attack, Serbia’s 52% efficiency dwarfed Greece’s 37%, reflecting cleaner setting from Maja Ognjenović (2 aces, 15 serve attempts without an error) and superior conversion in transition. Greece’s 92 attack attempts to Serbia’s 81 show they were forced to grind out longer rallies without finding clean kills.

Serbia finish Pool B with a perfect 5-0 record and head into the eightfinals as the group winners, with momentum and a full squad. Their next fixture is the Round of 16 on 29–30 August in Brno. Greece, who had already secured their knockout qualification on 25 August with a 3-1 win over Austria, finish the group phase with a 3-2 record and will also advance to the eightfinals. This marks only the second time in Greece’s history that they have progressed beyond the pool stage, matching their 2019 run.

Serbia were a class above, as the 3-0 scoreline reflects. The blocking advantage was the decisive factor — when Serbia’s front line clicks like this, they will be a serious contender for the title. Greece will need sharper attacking efficiency against stronger defences in the knockout stage, but reaching the eightfinals is a significant achievement for the Hellenic side.