Italy claim fourth win as Isabelle Haak registers new EuroVolley record with 52 points
News
An incredible, epic evening in Göteborg was headlined by the unstoppable Isabelle Haak. She broke her own record for the most points scored in a single EuroVolley match, which stood at 42 in 2021, by producing an astonishing 52 points tonight. Sweden completed yet another remarkable comeback to defeat Croatia 3–2 (16–25, 22–25, 25–19, 25–16, 23–21), while in the first match of the day, Italy defeated Slovakia 3–0 (25–19, 25–18, 25–20) to remain at the top of the standings with a perfect record and without dropping a single set.
POOL D – Italy vs Slovakia 3–0 (25–19,25 –18, 25–20)
Italy continued their winning streak, securing their fourth win at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women. This time, they claimed a convincing 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-18, 25-20) against Slovakia.
It was an emotional game for Slovakia, who were coming off a tight 3-2 loss against Croatia. For Slovakia’s head coach Martino Volpini, it was especially emotional to face his home country, Italy.
Coming off a 3-2 loss, Slovakia were hungry for a win. They kept up with world champions Italy from the beginning, occasionally taking a two-point lead. Towards the end of the set, Italy took control and won it 25-19. Slovakia’s Zuzana Šepeľová was the top scorer in the first set with six points.
Italy started the second set strongly, forcing Slovakia to take an early timeout at 4-0. Ilaria Spirito excelled in defence, keeping the ball in play and giving her teammates the best possible conditions to score. In the end, Italy took the second set 25-18. Paola Egonu contributed nine points in the second set.
Italy kept the momentum going in the third set. Once again, Slovakia decided to take an early timeout at 8-5, hoping to change the course of the match. Towards the end, Italy extended their lead and won the third and final set 25-20. Sarah Fahr recorded four blocks for Italy.
Sarah Fahr“We are happy with what we have done. Of course, we still have to improve. I think in this match we were sometimes not very precise in blocking and defence. We know tomorrow is going to be a tough game because the level will be higher against France.”
Middle Blocker of Italy
Martino Volpini“It was very emotional to go up against Italy. I know every member of the staff because I have worked with them. But you know, when you work, when you are in the game, it’s not important. We play against one of the best national teams in the world. We put everything on the court, so I’m very proud of my team.”
Head Coach of Slovakia
POOL D – Sweden vs Croatia 3–2 (16–25, 22–25, 25–19, 25–16, 23–21)
Sweden and Croatia treated the 3,871 spectators at Scandinavium, as well as millions of viewers watching from home, to an unforgettable volleyball evening. It was a battle that truly came to life only in the third set, after Croatia had taken a 2-0 lead. That was when Sweden launched yet another remarkable comeback to secure their third victory at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women.
Croatia started strongly in the first set, carrying the momentum from their 3-2 victory over Slovakia. Sweden called an early timeout at 7-3. However, Croatia continued to power through the set and extended their lead, forcing Sweden to call another timeout at 12-6. Sweden slowly regained their momentum, but it was still not enough to stop Croatia from claiming the first set 25-16.
Ready for revenge, Sweden started the second set with a powerful spike from Isabelle Haak. The Swedish star scored 11 points in the second set. From there, the set was played out more evenly, with Croatia finding gaps between the Swedish blocks to take the set 25-22. Samanta Fabris scored eight points during the set.
Sweden opened the third set with a monster block from Elma Olofsson, immediately followed by an ace from Hanna Hellvig. Both teams played evenly, exchanging points back and forth. Near the end of the set, Sweden stepped up their game and won it 25-19.
Going into the fourth set, Sweden quickly took the upper hand, looking to secure the points needed to guarantee a place in the knockout stage. Despite a tough start to the match, Sweden closed out the set with a convincing 25-16 win.
Like the four previous sets, the fifth remained closely contested until the very end, when Sweden's Linda Andersson closed out the set with an ace to secure a 23-21 win and complete the comeback. The match's top scorer was Isabelle Haak, who finished with an incredible 52 points. That means she broke her own record by ten points. The final set was something of a battle between the two opposite hitters, with Haak scoring 14 points and Samanta Fabris adding 10. Haak had an attacking efficiency of 57 percent, while Fabris finished at 55 percent.
Isabelle Haak"It's nice to be able to help the team to a win, but breaking a record was really not a goal I had. Croatia went up to a 15-14 lead, and then they had the lead by one point for a while, until we turned it around."
Opposite of Sweden
Izabela Štimac“We are all really emotional right now because playing two five-set matches is mentally very demanding. But we just need to calm down and focus on the next game.”
Croatian Libero