The EuroVolley Women 2026 quarter-finals continued on Wednesday with two highly anticipated matchups, and as expected, the two tournament favorites successfully punched their tickets to the next round. 

The opening match saw a dominant Serbian side face off against Greece, with Serbia ultimately securing a comprehensive straight-sets victory of 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-17). The offensive line was masterfully led by their star opposite, Tijana Bošković, who finished the match as the team's joint top scorer with 18 points.

However, the sporting triumph was completely overshadowed by a heartbreaking moment when Greek outside hitter Georgia-Loula Angelopoulou sustained a severe, devastating knee injury during a rally. 

The gravity of the injury was immediately apparent, causing her devastated teammates to burst into tears right on the court in a deeply emotional scene, leaving the entire arena wishing her a full and prompt recovery.

Later in the evening, Italy also secured their spot in the semifinals, though their journey was far from comfortable as they were pushed to their absolute limits by a remarkably valiant Swedish squad, finalising the score at 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-23). 
The match became an instant classic thanks to a legendary performance by Sweden's Isabelle Haak, who single-handedly dismantled the Italian defense by scoring an astonishing 42 points and forcing the reigning world champions to fight for every single rally. 
To counter this individual masterclass, Italy had to rely on its own heavy artillery to survive the scare. 
Paola Egonu carried a massive load for the Italian side, finishing the match with an impressive 27 points, while Kate Antropova provided crucial support by chipping in 22 points of her own to finally break Sweden's resistance and secure the victory.
Photos: European Volleyball