# 2003 Women's European Volleyball Championship

The 2003 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the 23rd edition of the event, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. It was hosted in Ankara, Turkey from 20 to 28 September 2003.
The two finalists Poland and Turkey claimed a ticket for the 2003 FIVB Women's World Cup and the first Olympic Qualification Tournament for the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Japan in November. The first six ranked teams (Poland, Turkey, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Russia) qualified for the European Olympic Qualification Tournament in Baku, from 5 to 10 January 2004. Semifinalists Turkey, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands also automatically qualified for the 2005 Women's European Championships, which took place in Croatia. Defending champion Russia finished out of the medals for the first time in volleyball history.

## Participating teams

| Team | Method of qualification |
| Bulgaria | 2001 edition third place |
| Czech Republic | Qualification Category A best third |
| Germany | Qualification Category A group 3 second |
| Italy | 2001 edition second place |
| Netherlands | Qualification Category A group 2 second |
| Poland | Qualification Category A group 3 winners |
| Romania | Qualification Category A group 1 second |
| Russia | 2001 edition first place |
| Serbia and Montenegro | Qualification Category A group 2 winners |
| Slovakia | Qualification Category A second best third |
| Turkey | Hosts |
| Ukraine | Qualification Category A group 1 winners |

## Format

The tournament was played in two different stages. In the first stage, the twelve participants were divided in two groups of six teams each. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams' group position. The second stage of the tournament consisted of two sets of semifinals to determine the tournament final ranking. The group stage firsts and seconds played the semifinals for 1st to 4th place, group stage thirds and fourths played the 5th to 8th place semifinals and the remaining four teams which finished group stages as fifth and sixth ended all tied in final ranking at 9th place. The pairing of the semifinals was made so teams played against the opposite group teams which finished in a different position (1st played against 2nd, 3rd played against 4th).

## Pools composition

| Pool A | Pool B |
| Germany | Bulgaria |
| Romania | Czech Republic |
| Russia | Italy |
| Serbia and Montenegro | Netherlands |
| Slovakia | Poland |
| Turkey | Ukraine |

## Venues

| Pool A and Final round | Pool B | AnkaraAntalyaclass=notpageimage| Tournament host cities |
| Ankara | Antalya | AnkaraAntalyaclass=notpageimage| Tournament host cities |
| Ankara Atatürk Sport Hall | Dilek Sabancı Sport Hall | AnkaraAntalyaclass=notpageimage| Tournament host cities |
| Capacity: 6,000 | Capacity: 2,500 | AnkaraAntalyaclass=notpageimage| Tournament host cities |

## Preliminary round

* All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03:00).

### Pool A

* venue location: Ankara Atatürk Sport Hall, Ankara, Turkey
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Germany | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 7.500 | 401 | 328 | 1.223 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Turkey | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 4.667 | 393 | 342 | 1.149 | Semifinals |
| 3 | Russia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 1.286 | 378 | 342 | 1.105 | 5th–8th place |
| 4 | Romania | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 0.500 | 393 | 391 | 1.005 | 5th–8th place |
| 5 | Serbia and Montenegro | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 0.417 | 354 | 404 | 0.876 | |
| 6 | Slovakia | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 0.133 | 310 | 422 | 0.735 | |
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 20 Sep | 14:00 | Germany | 3–0 | Slovakia | 25–14 | 25–15 | 25–16 | | | 75–45 | Report |
| 20 Sep | 16:30 | Serbia and Montenegro | 1–3 | Russia | 13–25 | 25–18 | 17–25 | 18–25 | | 73–93 | Report |
| 20 Sep | 19:00 | Romania | 0–3 | Turkey | 22–25 | 20–25 | 17–25 | | | 59–75 | Report |
| 21 Sep | 14:00 | Slovakia | 0–3 | Russia | 25–27 | 17–25 | 19–25 | | | 61–77 | Report |
| 21 Sep | 16:30 | Germany | 3–0 | Romania | 25–22 | 25–22 | 25–22 | | | 75–66 | Report |
| 21 Sep | 19:00 | Turkey | 3–0 | Serbia and Montenegro | 25–23 | 25–20 | 25–20 | | | 75–63 | Report |
| 22 Sep | 14:00 | Romania | 3–2 | Slovakia | 25–14 | 25–10 | 22–25 | 28–30 | 15–8 | 115–87 | Report |
| 22 Sep | 16:30 | Serbia and Montenegro | 0–3 | Germany | 15–25 | 22–25 | 22–25 | | | 59–75 | Report |
| 22 Sep | 19:00 | Russia | 0–3 | Turkey | 21–25 | 22–25 | 24–26 | | | 67–76 | Report |
| 24 Sep | 14:00 | Romania | 3–1 | Serbia and Montenegro | 25–11 | 25–21 | 23–25 | 25–22 | | 98–79 | Report |
| 24 Sep | 16:30 | Germany | 3–0 | Russia | 25–22 | 27–25 | 25–19 | | | 77–66 | Report |
| 24 Sep | 19:00 | Slovakia | 0–3 | Turkey | 20–25 | 20–25 | 14–25 | | | 54–75 | Report |
| 25 Sep | 14:00 | Russia | 3–0 | Romania | 25–16 | 25–17 | 25–22 | | | 75–55 | Report |
| 25 Sep | 16:30 | Serbia and Montenegro | 3–0 | Slovakia | 28–26 | 25–12 | 27–25 | | | 80–63 | Report |
| 25 Sep | 19:00 | Turkey | 2–3 | Germany | 16–25 | 16–25 | 25–22 | 25–12 | 10–15 | 92–99 | Report |

### Pool B

* venue location: Dilek Sabancı Sport Hall, Antalya, Turkey
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 2.333 | 456 | 411 | 1.109 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Poland | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 1.444 | 512 | 469 | 1.092 | Semifinals |
| 3 | Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 1.571 | 409 | 383 | 1.068 | 5th–8th place |
| 4 | Bulgaria | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 0.909 | 456 | 456 | 1.000 | 5th–8th place |
| 5 | Ukraine | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 0.583 | 405 | 426 | 0.951 | |
| 6 | Czech Republic | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 0.333 | 367 | 460 | 0.798 | |
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 20 Sep | 14:00 | Poland | 3–2 | Netherlands | 25–22 | 25–19 | 32–34 | 23–25 | 15–5 | 120–105 | Report |
| 20 Sep | 16:30 | Ukraine | 3–1 | Bulgaria | 25–23 | 25–19 | 23–25 | 25–19 | | 98–86 | Report |
| 20 Sep | 19:00 | Italy | 3–0 | Czech Republic | 25–18 | 25–16 | 25–22 | | | 75–56 | Report |
| 21 Sep | 14:00 | Ukraine | 1–3 | Poland | 19–25 | 25–23 | 19–25 | 23–25 | | 86–98 | Report |
| 21 Sep | 16:30 | Bulgaria | 3–0 | Czech Republic | 25–13 | 25–17 | 25–16 | | | 75–46 | Report |
| 21 Sep | 19:00 | Netherlands | 3–0 | Italy | 25–20 | 25–19 | 25–18 | | | 75–57 | Report |
| 22 Sep | 14:00 | Poland | 3–2 | Bulgaria | 25–17 | 25–22 | 22–25 | 20–25 | 15–12 | 107–101 | Report |
| 22 Sep | 16:30 | Czech Republic | 2–3 | Netherlands | 14–25 | 25–18 | 17–25 | 25–20 | 10–15 | 91–103 | Report |
| 22 Sep | 19:00 | Italy | 3–0 | Ukraine | 25–23 | 25–22 | 25–14 | | | 75–59 | Report |
| 24 Sep | 14:00 | Bulgaria | 1–3 | Netherlands | 25–22 | 23–25 | 18–25 | 24–26 | | 90–98 | Report |
| 24 Sep | 16:30 | Ukraine | 3–2 | Czech Republic | 25–21 | 25–14 | 22–25 | 22–25 | 15–7 | 109–92 | Report |
| 24 Sep | 19:00 | Poland | 1–3 | Italy | 25–20 | 22–25 | 20–25 | 22–25 | | 89–95 | Report |
| 25 Sep | 14:00 | Netherlands | 3–0 | Ukraine | 25–15 | 25–18 | 25–20 | | | 75–53 | Report |
| 25 Sep | 16:30 | Italy | 2–3 | Bulgaria | 19–25 | 25–20 | 21–25 | 25–15 | 17–19 | 107–104 | Report |
| 25 Sep | 19:00 | Czech Republic | 1–3 | Poland | 19–25 | 25–23 | 22–25 | 16–25 | | 82–98 | Report |

## Final round

* venue location: Ankara Atatürk Sport Hall, Ankara, Turkey
* All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03:00).

### 5th–8th place

* Pools A and B third and fourth positions play each other.
| Semifinals | Semifinals | 5th place | 5th place |
| 27 Sep | 27 Sep |
| Russia | 3 |
| Russia | 3 | 28 Sep | 28 Sep |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 28 Sep | 28 Sep |
| Bulgaria | 2 | Russia | 3 |
| 27 Sep | 27 Sep | | Russia | 3 |
| 27 Sep | 27 Sep | Italy | 0 |
| Romania | 1 | Italy | 0 |
| Italy | 3 | | |
| Italy | 3 | 7th place | 7th place |
| | | 28 Sep | 28 Sep |
| | | Bulgaria | 3 |
| | | Romania | 1 |

#### 5th–8th semifinals

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 27 Sep | 11:30 | Russia | 3–2 | Bulgaria | 25–21 | 28–30 | 25–15 | 26–28 | 15–11 | 119–105 | Report |
| 27 Sep | 14:00 | Romania | 1–3 | Italy | 25–21 | 15–25 | 26–28 | 21–25 | | 87–99 | Report |

#### 7th place match

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 28 Sep | 11:30 | Bulgaria | 3–1 | Romania | 25–21 | 20–25 | 25–20 | 25–22 | | 95–88 | Report |

#### 5th place match

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 28 Sep | 14:00 | Russia | 3–0 | Italy | 25–16 | 25–14 | 25–20 | | | 75–50 | Report |

### Final

* Pools A and B first and second positions play each other.
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| 27 Sep | 27 Sep |
| Germany | 2 |
| Germany | 2 | 28 Sep | 28 Sep |
| Poland | 3 | 28 Sep | 28 Sep |
| Poland | 3 | Poland | 3 |
| 27 Sep | 27 Sep | | Poland | 3 |
| 27 Sep | 27 Sep | Turkey | 0 |
| Turkey | 3 | Turkey | 0 |
| Netherlands | 0 | | |
| Netherlands | 0 | 3rd place | 3rd place |
| | | 28 Sep | 28 Sep |
| | | Germany | 3 |
| | | Netherlands | 2 |

#### Semifinals

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 27 Sep | 16:30 | Germany | 2–3 | Poland | 23–25 | 25–20 | 25–22 | 22–25 | 9–15 | 104–107 | Report |
| 27 Sep | 19:00 | Turkey | 3–0 | Netherlands | 25–17 | 25–22 | 25–22 | | | 75–61 | Report |

#### 3rd place match

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 28 Sep | 16:30 | Germany | 3–2 | Netherlands | 25–20 | 25–15 | 24–26 | 23–25 | 18–16 | 115–102 | Report |

#### Final

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 28 Sep | 19:00 | Poland | 3–0 | Turkey | 25–17 | 25–14 | 25–17 | | | 75–48 | Report |

## Final ranking

| Place | Team |
| | Poland |
| | Turkey |
| | Germany |
| 4. | Netherlands |
| 5. | Russia |
| 6. | Italy |
| 7. | Bulgaria |
| 8. | Romania |
| 9. | Ukraine |
| 9. | Serbia and Montenegro |
| 9. | Czech Republic |
| 9. | Slovakia |
* 2003 Women's European champions
* Poland First title
Team Roster :
* Izabela Bełcik, Małgorzata Glinka, Dominika Leśniewicz, Maria Liktoras, Agata Mróz, Małgorzata Niemczyk-Wolska, Anna Podolec, Aleksandra Przybysz, Katarzyna Skowrońska, Magdalena Śliwa, and Dorota Świeniewicz. Head coach: Andrzej Niemczyk.
* Poland and Turkey qualified for the 2003 FIVB Women's World Cup

## Individual awards

Players awarded for their performances in the tournament.
* Best scorer: Małgorzata Glinka (POL)
* Best spiker: Elizaveta Tichtchenko (RUS)
* Best blocker: Kathy Radzuweit (GER)
* Best server: Elles Leferink (NED)
* Best digger: Gülden Kayalar (TUR)
* Best setter: Magdalena Śliwa (POL)
* Best receiver: Nicoleta Țolișteanu (ROM)