11:09, Sep 14 2025
After the disappointing start at the 2025 Volleyball World Championship, Ukraine’s captain Yurii Semeniuk spoke frankly about the reasons for the defeat against Belgium and the team’s situation.
“There are different factors. Belgium didn’t play in the Nations League or the Golden European League. Their players were rested, while we’ve already been overloaded with volleyball. To be honest: the atmosphere hasn’t been good for quite a while. We are working on it and I hope that next season we’ll find new strength and motivation. But we’re not giving up. I hope we’ll have not just two matches left, but more. We are Ukrainians – and we never give up! We’ll fight until the end.”
Ukraine lost 0:3 to Belgium in the first group-stage match. The next game will be against Algeria on Tuesday, September 16, at 09:00 Kyiv time.
