2008 Men's European Volleyball League

The 2008 Men's European Volleyball League was the fifth edition of the annual Men's Volleyball Tournament, played by nine European countries from June 13 to July 13, 2008. The Final Four was held in Bursa, Turkey from July 19 to July 20.

For the first time Great Britain joined the competition and it will also enter it as a unified team as a result of a FIVB decision which allows the United Kingdom to play as a unified team in order to prepare for the next 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Austria and Belarus also joined the European League for the first time.

The tournament was won by Slovakia, defeating the Netherlands by 3–1 in the finals.

Competing Nations

Group A	Group B
Greece  Great Britain  Netherlands  Portugal  Slovakia	Austria  Belarus  Germany  Turkey

Squads

League Round

Group A

Leg 1

• Venue: Žilina, Slovakia
  • Friday June 13

Greece	2 – 3	Netherlands	25:18 25:22 32:34 20:25
Slovakia	3 – 0	Great Britain	25:12 25:15 25:16

• • Saturday June 14

Great Britain	0 – 3	Netherlands	22:25 20:25 16:25
Slovakia	3 – 0	Greece	25:21 25:23 25:19

• • Sunday June 15

Greece	3 – 0	Great Britain	25:18 25:20 25:17
Netherlands	3 – 2	Slovakia	25:22 25:19 22:25 19:25 15:11

Leg 2

• Venue: Larissa, Greece
  • Thursday June 19

Slovakia	1 – 3	Netherlands	20:25 25:17 19:25 21:25
Portugal	0 – 3	Greece	22:25 23:25 17:25

• • Friday June 20

Portugal	1 – 3	Slovakia	25:19 21:25 25:22 21:25 13:15
Greece	2 – 3	Netherlands	21:25 20:25 25:19 25:21 15:17

• • Saturday June 21

Netherlands	3 – 0	Portugal	25:22 25:19 25:22
Greece	3 – 0	Slovakia	25:22 25:22 25:21

Leg 3

• Venue: Sheffield, Great Britain
  • Friday June 27

Portugal	1 – 3	Great Britain	27:25 17:25 23:25 22:25
Slovakia	3 – 0	Greece	25:21 25:15 25:23

• • Saturday June 28

Greece	1 – 3	Portugal	21:25 19:25 25:20 21:25
Great Britain	0 – 3	Slovakia	23:25 22:25 29:31

• • Sunday June 29

Portugal	0 – 3	Slovakia	15:25 15:25 12:25
Great Britain	3 – 2	Greece	25:19 23:25 19:25 25:21 15:10

Leg 4

• Venue: Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Friday July 4

Slovakia	3 – 2	Portugal	21:25 25:21 25:23 22:25 15:13
Netherlands	3 – 0	Great Britain	25:23 25:13 25:11

• • Saturday July 5

Portugal	3 – 0	Great Britain	25:19 25:23 25:21
Slovakia	2 – 3	Netherlands	20:25 25:22 25:21 20:25 11:15

• • Sunday July 6

Netherlands	3 – 1	Portugal	25:16 20:25 25:15 25:22
Great Britain	0 – 3	Slovakia	14:25 25:27 23:25

Leg 5

• Venue: Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
  • Friday July 11

Netherlands	3 – 1	Greece	25:20 23:25 25:15 25:19
Great Britain	0 – 3	Portugal	22:25 15:25 20:25

• • Saturday July 12

Great Britain	0 – 3	Netherlands	22:25 15:25 19:25
Portugal	3 – 1	Greece	25:20 25:16 27:29 25:22

• • Sunday July 13

Greece	3 – 1	Great Britain	25:17 25:20 24:26 25:11
Portugal	0 – 3	Netherlands	19:25 24:26 18:25

Ranking

	Team	Points	G	W	L	SW	SL	Ratio	PW	PL	Ratio
1.	Netherlands	24	12	12	0	36	11	3.273	1096	951	1.152
2.	Slovakia	20	12	8	4	29	16	1.812	1025	936	1.095
3.	Greece	16	12	4	8	21	25	0.840	1019	1029	0.990
4.	Portugal	16	12	4	8	18	26	0.692	954	1003	0.951
5.	Great Britain	14	12	2	10	7	33	0.212	796	971	0.820

Group B

Leg 1

• Venue: Mogilev, Belarus
  • Friday June 20

Germany	3 – 2	Austria	22:25 25:20 25:19 20:25 15:10
Belarus	3 – 2	Turkey	25:22 22:25 25:23 16:25 15:12

• • Saturday June 21

Turkey	3 – 1	Germany	12:25 25:23 25:23 25:20
Austria	2 – 3	Belarus	25:27 24:26 25:21 25:20 15:17

• • Sunday June 22

Turkey	3 – 1	Austria	25:22 23:25 25:17 25:23
Belarus	3 – 2	Germany	25:21 25:22 16:25 23:25 21:19

Leg 2

• Venue: Ankara, Turkey
  • Friday June 27

Belarus	0 – 3	Germany	19:25 22:25 22:25
Austria	1 – 3	Turkey	25:22 17:25 15:25 21:25

• • Saturday June 28

Germany	0 – 3	Austria	23:25 22:25 22:25
Turkey	3 – 1	Belarus	25:19 17:25 26:24 25:21

• • Sunday June 29

Belarus	3 – 1	Austria	25:23 27:25 26:28 25:21
Turkey	2 – 3	Germany	26:24 23:25 20:25 25:21 10:15

Leg 3

• Venue: Trier, Germany
  • Thursday July 3

Turkey	1 – 3	Austria	25:22,19:25,20:25,18:25
Belarus	1 – 3	Germany	23:25,17:25,25:23,18:25

• • Friday July 4

Turkey	3 – 2	Belarus	19:25 25:21 25:20 23:25 17:15
Germany	3 – 0	Austria	26:24 25:18 27:25

• • Saturday July 5

Austria	0 – 3	Belarus	18:25 21:25 18:25
Germany	3 – 0	Turkey	25:18 25:10 25:21

Leg 4

• Venue: Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Austria
  • Friday July 11

Germany	3 – 1	Turkey	25:23 21:25 25:15 25:22
Austria	0 – 3	Belarus	28:30 22:25 22:25

• • Saturday July 12

Turkey	3 – 0	Belarus	25:22 25:19 25:22
Germany	0 – 3	Austria	22:25 22:25 22:25

• • Sunday July 13

Belarus	0 – 3	Germany	21:25 21:25 32:34
Austria	0 – 3	Turkey	25:23 25:23 25:23

Ranking

	Team	Points	G	W	L	SW	SL	Ratio	PW	PL	Ratio
1.	Germany	20	12	8	4	27	18	1.500	1059	970	1.092
2.	Turkey	18	12	6	6	24	24	1.000	1055	1070	0.986
3.	Belarus	18	12	6	6	22	25	0.880	1059	1093	0.969
4.	Austria	16	12	4	8	19	25	0.760	993	1033	0.961

Final four

	Semi Finals				Final
	2008-07-19 – Bursa
	Slovakia	3
	Germany	2
					2008-07-20 – Bursa
					Slovakia	3
					Netherlands	1
					3rd place
	2008-07-19 – Bursa			2008-07-20 – Bursa
	Netherlands	3		Germany	2
	Turkey	1			Turkey	3

Semi finals

• Saturday July 19

Slovakia	3 – 2	Germany	27:25 25:21 13:25 17:25 19:17
Netherlands	3 – 1	Turkey	25:21 25:19 31:33 25:16

Finals

• Sunday July 20 — Bronze Medal Match

Germany	2 – 3	Turkey	25:23 25:23 16:25 22:25 13:15

• • Sunday July 20 — Gold Medal Match

Slovakia	3 – 1	Netherlands	25:21 25:18 20:25 25:23

Final ranking

Place Team 1.  Slovakia 2.  Netherlands 3.  Turkey 4.  Germany 5.  Belarus 6.  Greece 7.  Austria 8.  Portugal 9.  Great Britain

2008 Men's European League Winners  Slovakia First title

Individual awards

Most Valuable Player:  Martin Sopko (SVK) Best Spiker:  Volkan Güç (TUR) Best Blocker:  Tomas Kmet (SVK) Best Server:  Martin Sopko (SVK)

Best Libero:  Jelte Maan (NED) Best Setter:  Yannick van Harskamp (NED) Best Receiver:  Ferdinand Tille (GER) Best Scorer:  György Grozer (GER)

References

• CEV Results (dead link as of 2. sept 2009)