The Ukrainian U16 women's volleyball team has missed their chance to qualify for the 2026 European Championship despite a promising start in the qualification tournament. After securing victories against their main competitor Bulgaria and the Sakartvelo team, Ukraine entered the decisive match against the tournament hosts with qualification hopes still alive.
However, the final match proved to be a significant setback as Ukraine suffered a comprehensive 0:3 defeat against Lithuania (16:25, 14:25, 17:25), relegating them to third place in the group. With this result, Bulgaria claimed the top spot in the group while Lithuania secured second place.
In the match against Lithuania, Domashivets led Ukraine's scoring with 11 points, followed by Hrynko who contributed 7 points. For Lithuania, Jatkonite was the standout performer with 12 points, while Jochute added 7 points in a dominant display by the hosts.
According to Statbet analysis, this qualification format often proves challenging for developing teams, with home advantage playing a significant factor in these youth tournaments.
It's worth noting that this result comes in contrast to the recent success of Ukraine's U16 men's team, who won their qualification group and secured their spot in the European Championship finals. The different outcomes highlight the competitive nature of youth volleyball across Europe as countries develop their next generation of talent.
