Sweden gave everything they had from the first set, but their experienced opponents showed why Italy are both the reigning world champions and Olympic gold medallists.
Initially, Italy were noticeably shocked, losing the first set 21-25. But despite evenly matched sets throughout the match, the Italians managed to catch their breath and then took three sets in a row.
Proud tears
"I am so proud of this team. That we are challenging the Olympic champions, the world champions, to this level. I didn't think that was possible several years ago," a tearful Anna Haak tells SVT after the match.
Who knows what would have happened if we had pushed them to a fifth set?
The journey the Swedish women's national team has made in recent years is something out of the ordinary, Anna Haak continues.
That's what makes me so incredibly proud. We played at their level almost the entire match. It's incredibly cool to see this level that we've taken Swedish volleyball to. It's hard to describe, that's why the tears are coming now.
Haak made history
The match was a tug-of-war between stars Isabelle Haak and Italy's Ekaterina Antropova, with the latter ultimately securing the decisive points.
During the match, Isabelle Haak once again made history, as she became the first woman to score the most points (247) in a single Women's Volleyball Championship. Previously, the list was topped by Serbia's Tijana Bošković, who scored 229 points in 2023. Serbia then reached the final.
While the Swedes' European Championship adventure ends for this time, Italy advances to the semi-finals in Istanbul, which will be played on Friday.
It was the second time that Sweden's volleyball women played a quarter-final in the European Championship.
