Defending European champions Ramstein and Black Forest Academy are used to being the favorites when they step onto the courts across Europe.

This week’s DODEA-European girls volleyball championships will be no different.

The Royals (13-0, 12-0) and Falcons are the top seeds in the Divisions I and II tournaments, respectively. The Division I tournament will take place at Ramstein High School, while the Division II tournament is in Vicenza, Italy.

“Everyone’s coming after Ramstein,” Royal outside hitter Ella Yost said. “They know we’re the ones that they’re going to have to beat.

“It’s definitely something we’ve focused on, just making sure that at all times, we’re able to perform at our best and maintain a good composure throughout the tournament.”

In Division III, meanwhile, Spangdahlem has been knocking on the door for years but couldn’t get past Ansbach’s dynasty.

The 2026 Sentinels are the No. 1 seed heading into the European tournament at Spangdahlem’s Eifel Powerhaus Fitness Center, just a couple hundred meters from the high school.

At 12-0, coach Daniel Williams is excited about his team being the favorite.

“We’re always hovering around,” Williams said. “We’re always in the mix, and I’m excited that this year’s our year to capture that No. 1 spot.”

The tournaments all involve a round-robin format, with each team playing three sets against the others on Thursday and Friday. The top four teams advance to the semifinals later Friday, and the winners will face off in Saturday’s championships.

Division I

In 2025, four teams had a good chance of bringing home the title. The Royals took the opportunity by the horns and claimed the crown.

This year, Ramstein enters as the clear favorite, having produced eight straight-set victories in the regular season – including 25-22, 25-14, 25-19 against BFA on Oct. 17.

The Royals also swept the season series against second-seeded Stuttgart, with both matches played over the final two weekends of the regular season.

Not that the players believe they already have clinched the title. In fact, they’re staying sharp, Yost said.

“It’s a little different dynamic because last year, it could have been anyone, and this year, it could be anyone,” she said. “There is the aspect that we did go undefeated, but who knows what could happen.”

Ramstein picked up right where it left off with five veteran starters leading the way.

Sophomore setter Emalie Edwards credited the newcomers such as senior outside hitter Devinity Taylor and girls who stepped up from the JV squad for adding to the team’s chemistry.

“The new girls that came in are a great help to the team and it became a family really quickly,” Edwards said.

Edwards, Yost and middle hitter Aurora Lewis said enjoying themselves on the court will lead to success, whether that keeps the trophy in Ramstein or not.

“We need to keep our heads, not get too riled up,” Lewis said. “Just stayed focused and really try to utilize all the assets we have in our team so that nobody is getting too overworked so that we have the energy to make through the rest of the tournament going strong.”

Division II

Vicenza coach John Kohut has reminded his Cougar players about missing out on qualifying for last year’s European championships so many times that senior Natalia Lopez is sick of it.

Granted, even she admitted the message is working. The Cougars are the second seed of the mid-size school tier’s competition this year.

“It’s really fueled us,” Lopez said. “I personally can’t stop thinking about the atmosphere of that one. Especially it being my senior year, I want it to end off a better outcome.”

The Cougars (11-3) are well aware of the tiebreakers this time around after losing out via point differential in a three-way tie with BFA and Aviano at the 2025 sectional tournament.

This year’s round-robin has the same setup – just with all of Division II involved instead of only four squads at two different locations.

“Last year, I think we got complacent during one of the games, and that took our championship away,” outside hitter/setter Emily Bell said. “This year, we are more ready and we know how to act and how to think and not to get too complacent and think, ‘Oh, this is an easy team, so we’re going to win it.’”

Vicenza’s lone losses came against third-seeded American Overseas School of Rome (9-3, 9-3), with whom the Cougars split the season series, and BFA. The Cougars and BFA saw each other on the opening weekend of the season, with BFA winning both matches in five sets.

Lopez said the Cougars can’t just worry about the two Falcon squads. She pointed to Naples as a team to watch.

Alessandra Macy mentioned how Vicenza lacks the height of its opponents, but the opposite hitter said the Cougars are capable of making teams pay offensively.

“We play smart,” Macy said. “When we are hitting the ball, we’re not just hitting it for it to go down. We put it in spots where we know they struggle and move so they have to get it.”

Division III

Along with being the top seed, the Sentinels have another advantage over their opponents: playing at home, instead of competing in the Kaiserslautern Military Community as in years past.

“We have a little bit of that home court advantage. Kids get to sleep in their own beds. Their parents are easily going to be there to support them and the rest of their community,” Williams said. “We’re really excited to be able to host it.”

The rest of the field beat each other up throughout the season, which Williams said he and his players noticed while they went unscathed.

The coach mentioned how the team has thrown in wrinkles in practice to prepare for the unpredictability of tournament action, as well as the up-and-down nature of the rest of the league.

“If things get shaky, rough, we hit bumps in the road, I always tell them, we got to know what we did and fix it with fundamentals,” Williams said. “If we can stick to that gameplan, I think we’re going to continue to have success.”