Bulgaria extended their winning streak to three matches after defeating Serbia, while Romania outlasted hosts Greece in four sets, with both matches played at the 2026 Men’s U16 Balkan Championship in Mytilene, on the North Aegean island of Lesbos.
Bulgaria dispatched Serbia 3-1 (25-10, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18) to stay top of the table and move within touching distance of the gold medal ahead of Saturday’s closing day. Kristian Petkov was once again the driving force behind Bulgaria’s victory, scoring a match-high 17 points, including four aces, as his side destroyed Serbia’s reception with a tournament-high 16 aces, compared with Serbia’s three.
The result leaves Serbia, who have completed their appearances at the tournament, winless at the bottom of the table.
Hosts Greece, meanwhile, faltered at the crucial points in each set and fell to Romania 3-1 (25-23, 27-25, 15-25, 25-23). Romania will now face Turkey on the closing day, Saturday, with the silver medal at stake.
Luca Onute led Romania with a match-high 22 points, while his side withstood the pressure applied by Greece from the service line, where the hosts produced 12 aces to Romania’s three. Romania also posted an attacking efficiency of 25%, compared with Greece’s 31%. Once again, however, Greece’s undoing was their high number of unforced errors, with 39.
The competition concludes on Saturday, with Turkiye facing Romania and hosts Greece taking on undefeated Bulgaria.
