Italy and Serbia first to book spots in EuroVolley semifinals; Haak sets new record

Wednesday concluded the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women action in Brno with two thrilling quarterfinal clashes, as the respective winners of Pool B and Pool D faced the teams that had finished third in those groups. Both matches were rematches of pool-stage encounters, with Serbia taking on Greece once again, while Italy faced Sweden for a place in the semifinals. The team led by coach Zoran Terzić booked their ticket to the semifinals in Istanbul without dropping a set, defeating Greece in straight sets. Serbia’s victory also marked their eighth consecutive appearance in the EuroVolley semifinals, making the achievement even more remarkable. Italy and Sweden, meanwhile, produced a nail-biting battle that ended in a 3-1 victory for the world champions, led by Paola Egonu and Ekaterina Antropova. However, despite Sweden’s elimination, Isabelle Haak once again delivered an extraordinary performance and completed her EuroVolley campaign with a new record for the most points scored by a single player in one EuroVolley edition (since 2011).

Serbia vs Greece 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-17)

While Serbia were aiming to become only the second team in history, after Russia, to reach the EuroVolley semifinals at eight consecutive editions, Greece were looking to continue their Cinderella story in what was already their maiden quarterfinal appearance. 

The match opened as a point-by-point battle, with Greece once again playing fearlessly despite having their roster reduced to 12 players following the injury to Effrosyni Bakodimou. However, from 4-4, Serbia found their momentum with Tijana Bošković on the service line. Strong play in every component helped the Serbian side race to a 10-4 lead. Greece refused to give up, responding with aces from Georgia-Loula Angelopoulou and Evangelia Tani, but they were unable to turn their momentum into a longer scoring run (13-10). From there, Serbia began to build their advantage again, combining strong work in attack and at the net to race to a 20-11 lead following an ace from Mina Popović. In the closing stage, Branka Tica impressed with her contribution, producing excellent saves as well as powerful attacks to score five points in the set. Bošković and Aleksandra Uzelac added four points apiece as Serbia comfortably closed the opener 25-14.

The second set got off to an absolutely unfortunate start, as one of Greece’s top scorers, Georgia-Loula Angelopoulou, who had already contributed three points, suffered a serious knee injury. Despite the setback, Greece continued to keep pace with Serbia, with the score level at 7-7. Erika-Pelagia Gravari and Eirini Chatziefstratiadou, who both scored four points in the set, led the Greek resistance. A block from Aleksandra Uzelac and Hena Kurtagić, followed by an ace from Branka Tica, helped Serbia open up a three-point lead at 10-7, but Greece immediately fought back to level the score once again. In the second half of the set, however, Serbia began to pull away. With Uzelac on the service line, the Serbian side raced to a 19-13 advantage, while their strong work at the net produced four block points. Powerful attacks from Uzelac, who scored six points in the set, and Tijana Bošković, who added five, helped Serbia take control and eventually close the set 25-20.

Powered by Tijana Bošković, Serbia took an early 9-6 lead in the third set. Greece spared no effort in their fight to keep their semifinal dream alive, but Serbia remained firmly in control of the situation on court. With Bošković, who scored eight points in the set, and Aleksandra Uzelac, who added five, leading the scoring, Serbia gradually extended their advantage to 16-11 and then 21-15. A powerful spike from Bošković eventually sealed the set 25-17 and sent Serbia into the EuroVolley semifinals.

Tijana Bošković was the match’s top scorer with 17 points, including 13 kills at a 43% success rate, two aces and two blocks. Aleksandra Uzelac added 15 points, while Branka Tica contributed 12. For Greece, Elpida Tikmanidou and Martha Anthouli scored nine points apiece.

Italy vs Sweden 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-23)

Italy, chasing a place in Volleyball history by completing the sport’s “Grand Slam” and becoming European champions while holding the Olympic and world titles, entered the clash as the natural favourites. Sweden, meanwhile, were looking to make their campaign even more historic after reaching the EuroVolley quarterfinals for only the second time ever. Italy opened the match with full confidence, racing to a 6-2 lead behind powerful attacks from Paola Egonu, who scored seven points in the set, and Myriam Sylla, who added five. The Italians continued to build their advantage to 11-6, but Sweden, led by Isabelle Haak, gradually found their rhythm and fought their way back to level the score at 14-14. With the pressure mounting, Italy began to make a few uncharacteristic errors, allowing Sweden to seize the momentum and move 18-16 ahead. Sensing their opportunity, the Swedes pushed even harder. Precise attacks from Haak, who once again delivered an outstanding 11-point performance in the set, including 10 kills at a 53% success rate, helped Sweden extend their lead to 23-19. A strong serve from Isabelle Haak and a clever attack from Linda Andersson sealed the set 25-21 in Sweden’s favour.

The second set was full of dramatic twists and turns. Sweden tried to carry their momentum from the opener into the next chapter, racing to a 3-0 lead with Hanna Hellvig on the service line. Italy quickly responded to level the score at 4-4, setting up another fierce battle. Sweden continued to impress with their work at the net, but Italy, powered by Paola Egonu and Ekaterina Antropova, moved 7-5 ahead. The Swedes refused to give up, levelling the score before an ace from Emma Olofsson gave them a 13-12 lead and restarted another tight race for every point. Two consecutive spikes from Egonu, who delivered nine points in the set, including eight kills at a 62% success rate, helped Italy move 20-18 ahead. Sweden, however, continued to play fearlessly. A collective effort in attack, with Hanna Hellvig and Anna Haak (both 3 points in this set) and Isabelle Haak (9 kills), pushed Sweden back in front at 23-21. With Italy under pressure, coach Julio Velasco called a time-out, and the response was immediate. Two kills from Egonu brought the score level at 23-23. Although Italy failed to convert their first set point, they eventually prevailed in extra time, with an attack from Antropova, who recorded eight kills at a 67% success rate in the set, sealing a dramatic 26-24 victory.

Putting Sweden under immediate pressure with a strong service run from Anna Danesi, Italy raced to a 7-2 lead in the third set. The world champions appeared to have regained both their confidence and control of the match, extending their advantage to 12-6 with powerful attacks from Ekaterina Antropova and Paola Egonu, who both scored six points in the set. But Sweden once again showed their character. Led by the Haak sisters, the Swedes began another comeback, first reducing the gap to three points at 12-9 before cutting it to just one, 15-14, following a spike from Anna Haak that further sparked the atmosphere at the Brno Exhibition Centre. A tight battle followed, with Italy managing to stay narrowly ahead until 20-19. Then, after an intense rally finished by a spike from Isabelle Haak, who scored 10 points in the set, Sweden levelled the score at 21-21. However, in the decisive moments, Italy could rely once again on their collective strength and the powerful attacks of Egonu. The Italians held their nerve to close the set 25-21 and move one set away from the EuroVolley semifinals.

Although Italy once again started the set better, Sweden kept pushing and stayed close at 8-7. However, through a collective team effort and precise attacks from Ekaterina Antropova, Italy quickly extended their lead to 12-8. Sarah Fahr, who scored five points in the set, also stepped up with some excellent attacks from the middle, helping Italy build a 17-12 advantage. But at 19-15, the momentum shifted once again. Two consecutive aces from Isabelle Haak, who scored 12 points in the set, brought Sweden back to 19-17, before strong attacking efforts from Hanna Hellvig helped the Swedes level the score at 20-20. Successful attacks from Haak and Hellvig then even gave Sweden a 22-20 lead, putting Italy under serious pressure. However, another time-out from coach Julio Velasco proved to be decisive. Italy immediately regained their composure, and strong plays from Paola Egonu, who scored five points in the set, and Myriam Sylla, who added six, helped the Italians turn the situation around and close the set 25-23, sealing their ticket to Istanbul.

Paola Egonu was Italy’s top scorer with 27 points, including two aces and 25 kills at a 51% success rate, while Ekaterina Antropova finished with 22 points, including one ace and 21 kills. On the other side, Isabelle Haak once again delivered a brilliant performance, scoring a remarkable 42 points, including 38 kills at a 49% success rate, one block and three aces.

Haak’s extraordinary performance also saw her set a new record for the most points scored by a single player at EuroVolley (since 2011). She finished the competition with 247 points - an average of 9.15 per set - surpassing the previous record of 229 points, set by Tijana Bošković in 2023.