Switzerland’s EuroVolleyM newcomers turn a long-held dream into reality

For Dominic Lauener, Fabrice Egger, Étienne Schalch and Cyril Kolb, CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 marks a first step onto a stage they once watched from afar. As Switzerland’s newcomers prepare to test themselves against some of Europe’s biggest names, excitement, nerves and curiosity come together in an experience they have spent years imagining.

For Dominic Lauener, becoming a European Championship player did not quite feel real when his name was announced in Switzerland's final squad.

It happened a little later, at home, with a suitcase in front of him.

“A key moment was when our head coach announced the final selection of players for EuroVolley around two weeks ago. I was extremely happy,” Lauener recalls. “After that, it really hit me when I was packing my bags at home before finally leaving for the tournament.”

It is a small moment for something he had imagined for considerably longer.

Lauener remembers watching international Volleyball with his family, friends and teammates. Some of the players he used to follow from a distance will now be standing on the other side of the net in Cluj-Napoca.

“It was my dream to play there, so I visualised it and worked a lot for that goal. Now I'm here. Sometimes I still can't completely believe it.”

He is not alone.

Switzerland arrive at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men with several players experiencing the competition for the first time. Fabrice Egger, Étienne Schalch and Cyril Kolb are among those discovering what a senior European Championship looks and feels like from inside the team rather than from the outside.

For a Swiss side that has spent the past seasons steadily building towards this stage, their presence also represents something more than a collection of individual firsts. A new group is being given its first taste of the level Switzerland want to compete at regularly.

And for each of them, that first taste means something slightly different.

When the players on the screen become the opponents

For Egger, simply being among them still carries an element of disbelief.

“No, not at all. It still feels surreal, and I am really excited for this opportunity,” he says when asked whether he had imagined himself reaching this stage.

There is another part of the experience that matters to him, too.

“It is a special honour to represent my home country with such a great team and many friends of mine. It is always inspiring to watch these top athletes perform the same sport, knowing how much practice is necessary to make it look that easy.”

Now Egger will have the chance to examine that apparent ease from considerably closer.

Germany are the opponents he is particularly looking forward to. They are not only one of the strongest teams Switzerland will encounter in Pool D, but also part of the Volleyball world he has followed away from his own domestic competition.

“I am especially looking forward to the match against Germany, as they are a top team and the German league is the one, alongside the Swiss league, that I watch the most.”

Schalch's journey towards EuroVolley has been slightly different. Major international tournaments only became part of his regular viewing habits in recent years.

But playing in one quickly became an ambition.

“I only started following these tournaments in the last few years,” he explains. “It was certainly always my goal, and now it's becoming a reality.”

There is pride in reaching that goal, but also curiosity about what Switzerland will discover when they measure themselves against some of Europe's established powers.

“I have never been to a tournament like this before. I'm very excited and proud to represent my country,” Schalch says. “It's really cool that we get the chance to compete against the biggest teams and see where we stand.”

That last part may be the most important.

Getting to EuroVolley provides one answer. Playing there provides several new questions.

“Can I keep up with them?”

Cyril Kolb puts one of those questions particularly simply.

“What I look forward to most is playing against top players to see if I can keep up with them and figure out what I still need to work on.”

There is no attempt to pretend the occasion feels ordinary before it has even begun.

“Of course, I'll be a little nervous because it's my first EuroVolley.”

Yet Kolb does not necessarily see those nerves as something Switzerland's newcomers need to share or carry together. His solution is considerably more pragmatic.

“I don't think it helps, since we want to shake off our nervousness as quickly as possible and play freely,” he says. “At the end of the day, it's a Volleyball game just like any other.”

Perhaps that is the contradiction of a first European Championship.

For years, reaching it can represent something enormous. Then comes the moment when a player is called from the bench, walks onto the court and somehow has to make it ordinary again.

Asked what he expects to think when that moment comes, Kolb's answer is short.

“I think I'll be proud of myself for having achieved this.”

Schalch already knows what he wants his focus to be when his own opportunity arrives.

“I want to give my all for my team, and I'm proud to represent my country.”

First-timers, but not on their own

There is another advantage to Switzerland bringing a group of newcomers rather than sending them through this experience individually.

They have people alongside them for whom the accreditation, arena, opponents and scale of the tournament are equally new.

“It's very cool to have some other guys that are here for the first time as well and to share the experience,” Lauener says.

But he is equally aware that a team cannot consist only of players discovering things together.

“As a young player, there is a lot of new stuff and especially a lot of excitement and emotions. So having more seasoned players on the team is extremely helpful because they are ready to help us if we have any questions or problems.”

It creates an interesting balance for Switzerland: some players know what these occasions demand, while others are encountering them for the first time.

Soon, however, the distinction will disappear.

The first warm-up will become the first whistle. Someone will be called from the bench. Someone will make his first reception, first set or first attack at a European Championship. And an experience that currently feels surreal will begin to look much more like Volleyball.

Egger already knows what he hopes will remain when the tournament is eventually over.

“That we could enjoy this opportunity by having fun playing the sport we love, while giving everything regardless of the opponent we were facing.”

For Switzerland's newcomers, there will be plenty of time later to decide what their first EuroVolley meant.

For now, they have crossed the more important line.

The players they once watched are no longer on a screen.

They are on the other side of the net.