Italian
Defeated the host Sweden 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-14). Secured the first place in Pool D at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026
GÖTEBORG (SWEDEN) – The match against Sweden featuring Imoco Conegliano’s Isabelle Haak is never an easy one. Especially when there are 6800 cheering spectators filling the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. Yet, the women’s national volleyball team continues its flawless journey.
Defeated the hosts 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-14), marking the third consecutive victory with the same result (after Croatia and Montenegro) and securing first place in the Pool D with 9 points already in the bag.
A match without history, with the first set literally dominated from the initial 4-0 to 13-6. Then a comeback attempt by the Swedes, quickly pushed back. The second set was more balanced, with the home team even taking the lead at 20-22 before succumbing to the Italian comeback. The third set was all in favor of Velasco’s team, which closed the match with an easy 25-14.
Third consecutive match with Antropova as top scorer (19 points for her), followed by a consistently excellent Egonu (14) and the blocking points from Fahr (11).
The road of the Azzurre at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 continues with the certainty of already having a ticket for the final phase in Brno, where they will cross paths with Pool B consisting of Czech Republic, Austria, Serbia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Greece for the round of 16 and quarter-finals.
Now Italy will have a day of rest before returning to the field on Tuesday, August 25 at 4 PM (live on Rai 2, Sky Sport Uno, Sky Sport Arena, DAZN) against Slovakia led by Italian coach Martino Volpini, and then finally closing with France on Wednesday, August 26 at 4:00 PM.
The statements
These are the words of coach Julio Velasco at the end of the match: “We had some moments where we lost a bit of rhythm, especially because Haak played very well in attack and created problems for us. However, we defended and attacked well. We can do better, but we got another 3-0. We won the third set decisively, while we struggled a bit in the second. That’s fine, because reaching the round of 16 after playing too easy matches wouldn’t be ideal. We still need to adjust a few things.
Paola, after the timeout, found several blocks and forced the opposing attackers into mistakes. Sometimes the work of the block goes unnoticed, because the attacker hits out and it is simply seen as their error, but often this happens precisely because the block manages to close certain trajectories. We need to improve some things on an individual level and manage fatigue, especially for those players who have some minor issues, but the team is growing. The motivation of the girls is at its peak, everyone knows what they need to do and understands our playing system well. However, the system often isn’t enough: we also need to be able to read the situations. We make few system errors, but sometimes we need to read better what is happening, especially when there are very strong attackers like Haak on the other side. Their outside hitters also put us in difficulty until we managed to fix the block, and from that moment we took control“
In the mixed zone, Merit Adigwe also spoke, sharing the emotion of experiencing her European Championship firsthand and highlighting the attitude shown by the team: “I am really happy with how the match went; it definitely wasn’t an easy game. We gave our all from the very first ball and never gave up. Stepping onto the field as a key player in a European Championship was thrilling. I am so happy to be here and to contribute to the team. Now we will have a day of rest, which we will use to recharge. Then we will return to the field with the same grit and aggressiveness“.
Among the protagonists of the evening is also Eleonora Fersino, a key player in the Azzurra’s second line and the star of a solid defensive performance: “We are happy, we played a positive game in all aspects. However, this match is already behind us, and we need to think about the next one, because the European Championship is a competition with many closely spaced commitments. We did well because in matches like this, the most important thing is to stay focused on our game and try to express it to the best of our ability. I believe we managed to do that quite well. Personally, I always try to give my best, but today all my teammates were amazing. It was a team victory, so well done to everyone“.
The scorecard
ITALY-SWEDEN SCOREBOARD 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-14)
ITALY Meli ne, Cambi, Spirito (L), Fersino (L), Orro 2, Danesi 5, Nwakalor ne, Adigwe 2, Nervini 1, Sylla 5, Egonu 14, Fahr 11, Giovannini, Antropova 19. Coach: Velasco
SWEDEN Muhizi ne, Tabron 1, Andersson 1, Malm, Olofsson 1, I.Haak 15, Gustafsson 1, Brink (L), Hellvig 6, Julevik, A.Haak 10, Hallin 1, Edlund 1, Nordin Ottosson. Coach: Micelli.
REFEREES: Raquel Portela (Por), Jennifer Hesse (Ger)
NOTE – Spectators: 6800. Duration: 25’, 27’, 22’. Total: 74’.
Italy bv 6, bs 8, mv 10; Sweden bv 2, bs 9, mv 4.
The program
PROGRAM 24/8
Pool A (Istanbul): 3 PM Poland-Latvia (DAZN), 6 PM Turkey-Hungary
Pool B (Brno): 4 PM Ukraine-Austria, 7 PM Serbia-Bulgaria (DAZN)
Pool C (Baku): 1:30 PM Netherlands-Portugal, 4:30 PM Azerbaijan-Romania
Pool D (Gothenburg): 4 PM Croatia-Slovakia (DAZN), 7 PM Montenegro-France
Photo Credits: Federvolley.it
