Slovenia Women saw off Germany 3-0 in their European Volleyball Championship fixture on Friday evening. The hosts had looked to be building momentum after a 3-1 victory over Austria earlier in the month, but the visitors made short work of the challenge here. By then, Germany's recent troubles were already showing through — three defeats in their last four matches before this one.
Slovenia came in with mixed form, having split results against Slovakia earlier this month with a draw and a win. They had also fallen to Sweden twice in mid-July, but showed resilience in those defeats. The visitors took control from the opening set and never looked back, closing out the match without conceding a set.
Germany's record in their last five matches tells its own story: two losses by the same 0-3 scoreline, including defeats to Serbia and the Netherlands. They had pulled through against Czech Republic and Austria, but those victories now look like outliers. The result leaves them searching for answers at this championship.
Slovenia's performance suggests they are ready to step up at this level. They had been competitive against Sweden and could have taken points from those matches. Against Germany, they were the better side and took their opportunities. The visitors will want to build on this confidence in what comes next.
The final score reads 3-0 to Slovenia, and the gap in form between the two sides was clear by the end. Germany will need to rediscover their touch if they are to salvage something from this tournament.