German and Hungarian teams win title at the Budapest European Universities Volleyball Championship

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (men) and Hungarian University of Sports Science (TF) (women) were crowned as champions at the European Universities Volleyball Championship held in Budapest. The event concluded on Sunday with nearly full-house finals and a closing ceremony.

On Sunday, the last day of the competition, the Koltai Jenő Sports Centre, host to most matches of the championship, was almost unrecognizable.

Firstly, because instead of two courts separated by partitions, matches for positions 1–5 were held on a single court with the stands fully opened. Secondly, because the facility saw a record-breaking crowd, which, without exaggeration, could enjoy the final moments of the most significant event in European university volleyball in comfortable, European-standard conditions.

Not only fans, but also numerous distinguished guests closely tied to sports and volleyball attended the finals and closing ceremony in the arena. Among them was Tamás Märcz, Olympic champion in water polo player, Ambassador of the National Institute for Sport Development and Methodology, representing the State Secretariat for Sport of the Ministry of Defence.

Despite the ceremonies and celebrations, the spotlight on the tournament’s final day remained on the game – and the champions.

Women’s competition

The women’s final was a thrilling, high-quality showdown with an electric atmosphere, as hosts Hungarian University of Sports Science (TF) faced Yasar University from Turkey. Both teams entered the final undefeated, and for TF, this tournament already marked the best European University Championship performance in their history.

In the opening set, Yasar played with confidence and speed, at one point leading by nine points. Despite head coach Zoltán Jókay’s time-outs to rally the home side, the Turkish team never let go of the lead and secured the first set: 25:18.

The second set began similarly, with Yasar dominating thanks to their powerful attacks. However, they stalled mid-set, allowing TF to catch up to 13:13. From there, a tense back-and-forth ensued, with Aslan shining for Yasar and Kata Török for TF. The Hungarian side maintained focus and edged the set: 25:23.

The third set was also evenly matched. TF took an early lead, but Yasar soon took control. In the end, the Turkish side scored four points in a row to clinch the set: 25:20.

But the battle wasn’t over. Despite trailing early in the fourth set, TF once again found their rhythm, just as they had in Saturday’s semi-final. Thanks to inspired performances by Kata Török and Gréta Tatár, the home team won the set convincingly: 25:16.

That brought on the decisive fifth set, which delivered even more excitement. TF led by 3–4 points multiple times, but Yasar kept coming back. In the end, Kata Török’s exceptional play (she scored 29 points!) pushed TF to a dramatic 15:13 win—crowning them European champions.

The bronze medal match between University of Zagreb and Ovidius University was another epic. The teams traded sets—Zagreb took the first and third, Ovidius the second and fourth (the latter quite dominantly). In the decider, the Romanians led most of the way, though Zagreb caught up twice (10:10, 12:12). But Ovidius held strong and took the fifth set: 15:12, winning the match 3:2 and securing the bronze.

For 5th place, two Italian universities, Torino and Bologna, faced off. Bologna, the reigning 2023 European champions, controlled the match throughout. Torino only offered real resistance in the final set, but Bologna completed a clear 3:0 win.

The match for 7th place between Tartu and Cologne followed a similar pattern. The German team won the first two sets with ease, and although the third was tighter, Cologne’s victory was never in doubt: 3:0.

For 9th place, Hungary’s Corvinus University took on Masaryk University. The Hungarians made the first and third sets competitive, but couldn’t keep up in the second. Ultimately, the Czech side won in straight sets: 3:0.

The 11th place match saw University of Rostock face the University of Cyprus. The Cypriot team only offered real resistance in the final set, and the Germans comfortably closed out the match: 3:0.

4 Aug 2025