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The four-set victory against Ukraine was the first win for Slovakia in this edition of the competition. The victory allowed Slovakia finish this round second in Pool B, while Ukraine fell to the third position. Neither of the teams earned enough wins and ranking points to reach the Final Four.

Both teams began the match going head to head in the opening set of the match. A short run put Slovakia ahead at 23-20, but Ukraine hit right back, scoring five points in a row and claiming the first set. Ukrainians continued their good performance into the second set, taking a 9-12 lead, but Slovakia came close to 11-12, staying close to their opponents. The real challenge was yet to come when Slovakia tied at 17-17 and both teams fought point by point until Slovakia won the second set at 28-30. The third set was under control of the Slovakian side, who established an advantage at 16-9 and maintained the lead until winning 25-14. The story was repeated in the fourth set, where Slovakia worked to gain significant lead from the first rallies and patiently increased their lead until finishing the match at 25-13.

• Karin Palgutova and Romana Kriskova went head to head as best scorers of the match with 23 points each

• On Ukraine’s side Yuliya Boyko scored 10 points for her team 

• Tereza Hrusecka was the best blocker of the game, scoring 6 our of 11 blocks gained by Slovakia

• Ukraine also scored 11 blocks, with Yuliya Boyko emerging as the leading blocker with 4 points

Vladimir Orlov, coach of Ukraine: “We played on a high in the first two games. Our emotional power finished after that. We played two games in less than 24 hours and it was hard for us. We tried to do our best.”

Marco Fenoglio, coach of Slovakia: “I am very satisfied with the win. It was very important to finish this tournament in style. The Slovakia team played well. We deserved the victory.”