On August 30, 2023, Beijing time, the women's volleyball European Championship began the 1/4 final competition, and the Dutch women's volleyball team, ranked 9th in the world, continued its strong performance, defeated Bulgaria 3-0, easily won seven consecutive victories, and successfully advanced to the final four. Subsequently, the defending champion Italian women's volleyball team swept France 3-0 to claim a second place in the semifinals, and the Italian women's volleyball team, which also won seven consecutive games, defended its title.
In this European Championship, the traditional strong teams Italy, Serbia, Turkey, Poland and the Netherlands all successfully advanced to the quarterfinals, and it can be said that the European Championship gave birth to the most luxurious eight-round team. The first place in the final four was between the Netherlands and Bulgaria, and although the Dutch women's volleyball team was not as competitive as before, this Dutch women's volleyball team was very lucky, did not meet too strong opponents in the group stage, and easily won the first place in the group with a total victory of 5 games.
In the first round of the knockout round, the Netherlands beat Switzerland 3-0 to advance to the quarter-finals. In the 1/4 final, the Dutch women's volleyball team also avoided many strong teams and competed with Bulgaria for a place in the final four. Of course, the Dutch women's volleyball team will not miss such a good opportunity, facing Bulgaria, the Dutch women's volleyball team has a clear advantage, most of the time to take the initiative, 25-11, 25-13, 25-19 consecutive games, easy win. Throughout the game, the Dutch women's volleyball team blossomed more in the offensive end, which can be described as comfortable.
The Dutch women's volleyball team, which advanced to the semifinals, will face the winner between Serbia and the Czech Republic in the semifinals, and it is no surprise that the two fierce rivals of the Chinese women's volleyball team in the Olympic qualification tournament, the Netherlands and Serbia, will talk directly in the semifinals for a place in the final. For the Chinese women's volleyball team, if this matchup appears in the European Championships, it will be very valuable for reference, after all, both teams play with the strongest team, and with the Olympic qualification tournament approaching, Cai Bin can find out the opponent's situation through this match.
In the second 1/4 final, the Italian women's volleyball team played against France, and Italy easily won the first game 25-14. In the second game, the French women's volleyball team fought back strongly, causing great trouble for Italy, but the Italian women's volleyball team grasped the key points and won a thrilling 29-27. In the third game, the morale of the French women's volleyball team was demoralized and it lost 13-25. The Italian women's volleyball team was in danger, knocking out France 3-0 and advancing to the semifinals.
The world number two-ranked Italian women's volleyball team is the defending champion, and after easily winning seven straight games, the Italian women's volleyball team will face a real test in the semi-finals against the winner between Turkey and Poland. No matter who you face, it is a tough battle for Italy, the Turkish women's volleyball team previously won the World Women's Volleyball League, Vargas has improved Turkey's overall strength, and the Polish women's volleyball team has risen steadily under Lavarini's tutelage, and it is not easy for Italy to advance to the final!