France and Poland Reach European Volleyball Championship Semifinals Without Dropping a Set

At the European Volleyball Championship underway in Sofia, Bulgaria, two teams that previously faced Latvia's national team in the group stage have reached the semifinals with convincing victories - Olympic champion France and reigning European champion Poland.

France defeated Romania 3-0 (25:16, 25:19, 25:19) in the round of 16. Theo Faure led the French side with 19 points on 75% attacking efficiency, while Francois Ye added 11 points, including six blocks. Romania's top scorer was Daniel Hicigoi with 11 points.

Poland, which lost to Latvia's national team in the first play-off round of the group stage, defeated Germany - another team from Latvia's group - 3-0 (25:23, 25:17, 25:17). Wilfredo Leon topped the Polish scoring chart with 17 points on 77% attacking efficiency, while Bartlomiej Bolodzs added 13 points. Germany's Erik Roehrs scored 12 points and Tobias Brand added 11.

Semifinal opponents

In the semifinals, France will face the winner of Italy versus Finland, who meet on Wednesday in Turin. Poland's semifinal opponent will be the winner of Slovenia versus Belgium, also playing Wednesday in Turin.

The European Championship is being held simultaneously across four countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Italy - and concludes on Saturday. Latvia's national team played its Group D matches in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, alongside Romania, Germany, France, Switzerland and Turkey, finishing the tournament in 15th place overall. The top four teams from each group advanced to the round of 16. The round of 16 and quarterfinal matches are being held in Turin and Sofia, while the medals will be decided in Milan.