The German women's national volleyball team defeated Hungary in straight sets with a 3-0 victory in their group stage match at the European Volleyball Championship.
Coached by Giulio Cesare Bregoli, Germany dominated the opening and closing frames to secure the win with set scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-14. The result marked Hungary's third consecutive straight-sets defeat at the tournament under head coach Alessandro Chiappini.
Hungary entered the contest following consecutive 0-3 losses against Poland and Turkey, having dropped a set 12-25 against the Poles and 14-25 against the Turks. Germany came into the fixture after rebounding from an opening 0-3 defeat against Slovenia with a 3-1 victory over Latvia.
German control in the opening set
Germany established an early advantage from the opening points of the first set through attacks from Camilla Weitzel, Emilia Weske and Leana Grozer, alongside a service ace from Anastasia Cekulaev. Hungary initially stayed competitive, with Anett Nemeth and Reka Bozoki-Szedmak responding to keep the Hungarian deficit to two points.
The German team pulled clear after Hungary scored their 15th point. Strong plays at the net from Weske, Weitzel and Grozer allowed Germany to build a six-point cushion before closing out the set with two late points for a 25-17 win.
Grozer sparks second-set advantage
Bregoli's team asserted control even faster in the second set. Grozer delivered a series of points almost single-handedly to give Germany an early 5-1 lead. Flashes of scoring from Nemeth and Bozoki-Szedmak brought Hungary back within two points.
However, Germany maintained high attack efficiency to prevent any comeback. They steadily rebuilt their buffer to comfortably take the second frame 25-21.
Bench impact seals victory
The third set began competitively, with Hungary maintaining a tight one-point gap. Germany then found momentum as Weske, Lina Alsmeier and Grozer dominated at the net, while setter Sarah Straube repeatedly set up Weitzel to exploit scoring opportunities.
Germany put the match beyond reach when substitutes Hanna Orthmann and Monique Strubbe entered the court. The pair sparked an unanswered scoring run that dismantled Hungary's defense, securing a decisive 25-14 result in the final set.
Upcoming group fixtures
Germany have two remaining fixtures in the group stage. They face Turkey on Wednesday, August 26, before playing Poland on Thursday, August 27.
Hungary will conclude their group campaign against Latvia on Thursday, August 27, followed by a final match against Slovenia on Friday, August 28.
