The Greek National Volleyball Team defeated Ukraine 0-3 set in their final qualifier in Pool C and will now await Spain in a playoff for a place in the EuroVolley 2017 Finals. Earlier in the day, Moldova did not do Greece the favor against Belgium (lost 3-0) with Greece’s match against the Ukraine having no point impact on the final standings. The playoff against Spain will be held in October.
Greece put on yet another solid performance in EuroVolley 2017 Qualifying, defeating the Ukraine 0-3 set in their final qualifier in Pool C. Greece comfortably took the first set 17-25 going ahead 0-1 in the match. In both the second and third sets, Greece fell behind to the Ukraine, but was able to comeback and win both sets 22-25 and 19-25, respectively. With the match victory, Greece finished the group stages with 5 consecutive wins after their opening loss to Belgium in the first tournament.
Earlier in the day, Greece needed help from Moldova to have hopes for first place in the group, which led to automatic qualification to the EuroVolley 2017 Finals. Unfortunately, Belgium came away with an easy 0-3 set victory, securing their place in the finals.
With Belgium's victory, Greece finished second in the group despite being tied on wins and points with Belgium (Belgium had a better set wins:losses ratio). Greece will now face the second placed team from group A, Spain, in a two-legged (home and away) playoff. The team with the most set wins over the two legs will earn the ticket to the 2017 EuroVolley Finals. The Spaniards finished group play with 3 wins and 3 losses, behind group winners Germany. If Greece continue their momentum from qualifying they will be a heavy contender to qualify for their first European Championships since 2009.
The playoff matches will take place in October and the dates will be announced in the coming days. The first leg will be played in Spain and the second leg in Kozani, Greece.
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