New Swedish attendance record, Italy dominant, hosts battle to victory
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Italy and Sweden have emerged at the top of the Pool D standings of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women, both with two wins. On the second day in Göteborg, Italy defeated Montenegro 3–0 (25–13, 25–20, 25–19), while Sweden battled past Slovakia 3–2 (25–22, 25–16, 14–25, 22–25, 15–6).
Pool D – Italy vs Montenegro 3–0 (25–13, 25–20, 25–19)
The CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 fixture between Italy and Montenegro was their first head-to-head encounter, as they had never met in an official competitive match before. The historic game ended in a 3–0 victory for Italy (25–13, 25–20, 25–19).
Montenegro kept pace with Italy up to 2–2, but then Italy showed why they have won so many tournaments. Usual suspects Paola Egonu and Ekaterina Antropova were given some rest as Italy rotated heavily, allowing their substitutes to showcase their quality.
The second set followed a similar pattern to the first, with Italy again resting their biggest stars from time to time. Montenegro's Saška Đurović performed well, finishing as her team's top scorer in both spikes and total points.
As in the second set, Montenegro fought well in the third, but Italy eventually won it 25–19.
Ekaterina Antropova collected six aces in the match.
For the first time in 35 years, a national team making its EuroVolley debut met the reigning Olympic champions. You have to go back to 1991 to find a match like this, when Albania faced the Soviet Union, who held the Olympic, World and European titles simultaneously.
Montenegro's current coach, Jovo Caković, led Serbia's U18 national team to a 3–0 victory over the Azzurrine at the 2015 U18 European Championship. Just like today, that Italian squad featured players such as Alessia Orro and Paola Egonu.
Paola Egonu ahead of the Sweden game: “I mean, we know there is an amazing player like Bella Haak, but also the rest of the team, so I think we'll just focus and try to make our own game and stay focused.”
Saška Djurović“We were really nervous. This is our first European Championship and playing against these players is really big. But when we relaxed, it got better.”
Midlle Blocker of Montenegro Team
Paola Egonu“Congratulations to Montenegro for reaching this Championship. I really appreciated their mood and the way they fought.”
Italian Opposite
Pool D – Sweden vs Slovakia 3–2 (25–22, 25–16, 14–25, 22–25, 15-6)
18-year-old Swedish Middle Blocker Malin Hallin celebrated her birthday with a victory in front of a record-breaking crowd of 6,220 spectators. Both teams put on a show in the second match of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women. In the end, Sweden came out on top 3–2 (25–22, 25–16, 14–25, 22–25, 15–6) after an intense five-set battle.
For the first time, Sweden took on Slovakia in a EuroVolley match. Their last encounter came in the Golden League 2024, when Sweden came out victorious 3–0.
The first half of the set could not have been more even, with both teams going back and forth. With a massive crowd cheering them on, Sweden managed to take the lead. Slovakia, however, stayed close behind, with Karin Sunderlikova leading by example with 11 points in the first set. Sweden’s Isabelle Haak swiftly put an end to the set with a powerful spike, 25–22.
Sweden started the second set by establishing their dominance on the court, forcing Slovakia to take an early timeout at 6–3. Despite the tough start, Slovakia stayed close to Sweden throughout the set, proving their resilience. After a Swedish timeout at 16–13, the home team shifted into the next gear and widened the gap. Sweden quickly closed out the set 25–16.
Similar to the first set, the third set started evenly, with the teams fighting neck and neck. Halfway through the set, Slovakia gained the upper hand, taking control with solid defence and persistent attacks. At 22–13, Sweden decided to rest their starting six, making multiple substitutions. One of the players making her EuroVolley debut was Malin Hallin, who celebrated her 18th birthday playing in front of a record-breaking crowd. Slovakia quickly wrapped up the set 25–14, keeping the match alive.
The fourth set saw both teams giving their all as they fought for important points in Pool D. Slovakia gradually took control of the set with consistent reception and well-placed spikes. After a string of mistakes by Sweden, Slovakia managed to force a fifth set, winning the fourth 25–22.
Not wanting to give Slovakia a head start, Sweden started the deciding set with multiple great attacks and a successful serving run by Elma Olofsson. At 7–3, Slovakia called a timeout, but it was not enough to stop Sweden, who secured the 15–6 win and their second victory at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women. Star player Isabelle Haak scored a total of 38 points.
Isabelle Haak“Slovakia stepped up and successfully put a lot of pressure on us. We lost our momentum for a bit, and they used that going into the fourth set. We need to do better in the upcoming matches.”
Swedish Opposite, best scorer of the match
Karin Sunderlikova“Today, I think we showed that we know how to play against very strong teams. The energy we had on court today was very important. Even when we were losing 2–0, we didn’t give up.”
Slovakian Opposite
