Serbia claims Euro bronze in five-set volleyball battle with Poland
Serbia's women's volleyball team beat Poland 3:1 in the bronze-medal match at the European Championship, while Poland finished fourth but secured qualification for the 2027 World Championship.
Serbia returns to the podium
In the European Championship bronze-medal match in Istanbul, Serbia's women's volleyball team defeated Poland 3:1. Set scores differ slightly between sources — Przegląd Sportowy and Sport.pl report 21:25, 19:25, 25:15, 18:25, while SportoweFakty, citing Serbian outlets, lists 25:21, 25:19, 15:25, 25:18. Both versions describe the same outcome: Serbia won the first two sets, Poland fought back to take the third, and Serbia closed out the match in the fourth.
This marks Serbia's sixth consecutive European Championship medal and its eighth overall if the 1951 bronze won by the former Yugoslavia is included, according to SportoweFakty. Having gone without a medal at both the Olympics and the World Championship, the win represents a return to form for the team. Serbia had suffered a heavy 0:3 semifinal defeat to Turkey, meaning it had only one day to recover before facing Poland.
A tense moment involving coach Terzić
During the match, a worrying incident occurred: according to SportoweFakty and Sport.pl, Serbia's head coach Zoran Terzić felt unwell during the third set and briefly left the arena accompanied by a doctor. It was during this period that Serbia's team lost focus and made several errors, allowing Poland to win the third set convincingly. By the time Terzić returned a few minutes later, his team was already trailing, but Serbia regained control in the fourth set to seal the victory.
Serbia's outside hitter Tijana Bosković was the match's standout performer, particularly in the opening set, where she scored nine points with high efficiency.
Disappointment mixed with success for Poland
For Poland, this was a chance to return to the podium after a 17-year wait — the team's last European medal came in 2009 in Łódź. Despite the loss, Poland's top scorer Magdalena Stysiak recorded 28 points, and the team fought until the final set.
Poland's coach Stefano Lavarini made lineup changes ahead of the decisive match, but they did not produce the desired effect. Although the medal eluded them, Poland's advance to the tournament's medal round had already secured the team's qualification for the 2027 World Championship, confirmed by the international volleyball federation FIVB, as reported by Przegląd Sportowy.
