Sweden stun co-hosts Czechia, Italy march into EuroVolley quarterfinals
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The race for the final two quarterfinal tickets at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women in Brno continued on Monday. Italy, powered by an outstanding performance from Ekaterina Antropova, showed no mercy to Bulgaria, who tried to challenge the world champions. Their efforts were not enough, however, as Italy delivered an almost flawless performance, with Antropova tallying an impressive 18 points, including six aces. Later on Monday at the Brno Exhibition Centre, Sweden prevailed in straight sets over Czechia in the clash between the two co-hosts of this edition. Powered by an unstoppable Isabelle Haak, who produced a remarkable 31-point performance, Sweden booked their place in the EuroVolley quarterfinals for only the second time in history. The action in Brno will continue on Wednesday with two quarterfinal clashes - both rematches of pool-stage encounters. Serbia will face Greece once again, while Italy will take on Sweden for a place in the EuroVolley semifinals.
Italy vs Bulgaria 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-13)
The unbeaten winners of Pool D, Italy opened their campaign in Brno against Bulgaria, who had finished fourth in their pool. Despite the difference in their pool-stage results, Bulgaria started the match bravely, with successful attacks from Aleksandra Milanova and Tsvetelina Ilieva sending a clear message that they would not make things easy for the world champions. Italy responded quickly, but initially struggled to create a significant gap. Their first two-point advantage came after an ace from Ekaterina Antropova, before the Italians gradually began to take control. With Sarah Fahr on the service line and Paola Egonu, who scored 7 points in the set, delivering powerful attacks, Italy extended their lead to 19-14. Bulgaria, however, refused to give up. Led by Milanova, who also contributed 7 points in the opener, they fought back to reduce the gap to 19-17. Coach Julio Velasco immediately reacted with a time-out, and the move proved decisive as Italy quickly regained control of the set. Antropova (7 points, including 3 aces) sealed it with another ace for a 25-18 victory.
Although Bulgaria continued to fight, Italy took control early in the second set, racing to a commanding 12-5 lead during a strong service run from Sarah Fahr. Ekaterina Antropova (5 points) and Paola Egonu (4 points) helped their team extend the advantage further to 16-7. With Italy firmly in control of the match, coach Julio Velasco decided to rotate his squad. Merit Adigwe made the most of her opportunity, recording a perfect 100% success rate in attack while contributing 4 points. Antropova eventually sealed the set with a spike for a convincing 25-13 win.
Italy carried their momentum into the third set, opening the decisive part of the match in convincing fashion to race to an 8-3 lead. Bulgaria coach Marcello Abbondanza tried to stop the Italian run with a time-out, but the world champions continued to extend their advantage to 13-5. Bulgaria refused to give up, however, and fought back to reduce the gap to 14-10. The brief comeback proved to be a wake-up call for Italy, who immediately regained control. With Ekaterina Antropova on the service line, including two aces in the run, the Italians raced away again to an 18-10 advantage and confidently marched towards their ticket to the quarterfinals, eventually sealing the match with a 25-13 set win.
Ekaterina Antropova topped the scorers’ chart with an impressive 18 points, including six aces, two blocks and 10 kills at a 48% success rate. Paola Egonu added 14 points, while Aleksandra Milanova led Bulgaria with 12.
Ekaterina Antropova“This is an amazing arena to play in, and the crowd was great. We are happy to take this 3-0 win and we are ready for the next match. In the first set, we had some difficult moments, but we stayed together as a team and worked really well in defence. We made some great covers today, and staying together was the key. Afterwards, we were also more relaxed in attack because we knew that our teammates were there to cover us.”
player of Italy
Czechia vs Sweden 0-3 (19-25, 23-25, 21-25)
The highly anticipated clash between two EuroVolley co-hosts, Sweden, who finished third in Pool D, and Czechia, the runners-up in Pool B, drew a huge crowd to the Brno Exhibition Centre. Roared on by the full house from the first whistle, the hosts took an early 3-1 lead following an ace from Ela Koulisiani. Both teams showed excellent defence from the very beginning, producing a series of spectacular rallies, but Czechia initially proved more efficient to move 7-4 ahead. A strong service run from Vilma Julevik then turned the momentum in Sweden’s favour, helping them not only level the score but also take a 9-8 lead after her ace. Sweden continued to build their advantage, powered by the Haak sisters in attack - Isabelle (9 points in the set - 82% success in attack) and Anna (5 points). Their excellent offensive play helped Sweden race to a 16-11 lead. Playing with growing confidence and strength in every component, Sweden extended the gap further to 19-13 as Czechia struggled to find their rhythm and committed several unforced errors. Sweden were almost flawless in the closing stages (22-14), and Isabelle Haak sealed the opening set with a powerful spike for a 25-19 win.
The second set developed into a tight point-by-point battle, with Sweden the first side to take a two-point lead at 8-6. Czechia responded immediately with a three-point run, setting the tone for another fiercely contested chapter of the match. Both teams spared no effort in defence, producing strong team play and spectacular saves, while their attackers battled to find the decisive kills. As a result, neither side was able to build a significant advantage for much of the set. The breakthrough came during Anna Haak’s service run. Her tricky serves, combined with strong attacking from her teammates - including sister Isabelle and Hanna Hellvig - helped Sweden open up a 19-14 lead. Czechia, however, refused to surrender. Powerful spikes from Monika Brancuska (7 points in the set), Monika Bukovska (5) and Ela Koulisiani helped the hosts fight their way back and eventually level the score at 22-22. But when Sweden found themselves under pressure, they could once again count on Isabelle Haak (11 points in the set!). The Swedish star delivered two decisive spikes to close the set at 25-23 and put her team 2-0 ahead.
The third set also opened as a fierce battle. With no more room for error, Czechia stepped up to take an 11-8 lead, but the advantage quickly vanished as Sweden responded with solid play to level the score at 13-13. Strong work at the net, particularly in blocking, continued to make life difficult for the hosts. Spurred on by the almost 5,000-strong crowd, Czechia refused to give up and regained a three-point advantage at 18-15 following an attack from Michaela Mlejnkova. However, when the decisive moments arrived, Sweden could once again rely on Isabelle Haak. The Swedish star delivered another outstanding performance, scoring 11 points in the set alone. An ace from Vilma Julevik at 19-19 sparked Sweden’s decisive run. The visitors took control in the closing stages and sealed the set 25-21, completing a straight-set victory and booking their place in the EuroVolley quarterfinals for only the second time in history.
Isabelle Haak finished the match with a remarkable 31 points, all of them coming in attack. Hanna Hellvig added 10 points, while Monika Brancuska led Czechia with 16.
Isabelle Haak"This win and earning a spot in the quarterfinals mean a lot to us. I’d also like to congratulate Czechia for hosting such an amazing crowd and for doing a really great job throughout the tournament. I’m incredibly proud of my girls and of the game we played. We’re really looking forward to the next match. These three sets were very difficult. In the third set, we managed to make something important happen at the very last moment. We had some good serves, and in the end, they really helped save us in that set."
player of Sweden