Isabelle Haak outlines her season objectives as the Swedish star balances ambition, personal growth and upcoming club and national team challenges in 2026.

Swedish volleyball star Isabelle Haak is approaching the 2026 season with a renewed perspective, combining competitive ambition with a stronger focus on balance and long-term development as both club and national team objectives remain in play.

Haak, who has spent most of her professional career outside Sweden, underlined that the current season still carries unfinished business. With three remaining cups on the calendar, she emphasised that all competitions remain central to her club’s goals.

“We have three cups left to chase this season and all of them are very important for us as a club,” Haak said. “At the same time, we have the opportunity to play the pool phase of the European Championship in Sweden, in Gothenburg. It will be a special experience, and hopefully we can bring more high-level volleyball to Sweden.”

Bringing elite volleyball back home

For Haak, competing in a major international tournament on home soil represents more than a sporting milestone. After years abroad in Europe’s top leagues, the European Championship in Gothenburg marks a moment where her personal journey intersects with the growth of volleyball in Sweden.

She describes the current stage of her career as a product of sustained effort supported by a healthier mindset.

“Success built on hard work, sustained by balance,” Haak said, summarising her approach.

She highlighted that the strong results of recent seasons were shaped not only by daily training routines, but also by finding equilibrium between professional demands and personal life.

A different approach to improvement

While Haak’s ambition to improve remains unchanged, her methods have evolved. She continues to seek technical and mental development, but with greater patience and trust in the process.

“I’m always very open to learning new skills and adding more tools to my game,” she said. “I’m very self-critical, but I’ve also learned that patience and balance are important. Improving the mental side is just as important as working on skills on the court.”

That balance now comes through simple routines away from volleyball. Spending time with her partner, her dog and teammates allows her to mentally reset during a demanding season.

“I realised that disconnecting from volleyball sometimes is very healthy,” Haak said. “It made a difference both in my game and in my private life.”

Isabelle Haak

Club ambitions and national team focus

Looking ahead, Haak confirmed that competitive objectives remain clear. With her club, the focus stays on competing for titles in the remaining cups of the season. On the international stage, attention turns to the European League and the European Championship with Sweden.

“Of course, the goal is to compete and try to win,” she said. “Personally, I want to keep finding balance and spend more time with the people I love.”

As Isabelle Haak moves into this next phase, her career continues to be defined not only by scoring records and trophies, but by an evolving understanding of how ambition, balance and change can coexist at the highest level of the sport.

Mattia Bottolo balanced elite volleyball and university studies in 2025, completing a biology degree while taking greater responsibility with Italy’s national team.

Mattia Bottolo entered 2025 with a clearer understanding of how elite performance is shaped long before the first serve. The Italian outside hitter combined sporting success with academic achievement during a season that marked a new phase in his professional development.

Speaking about preparation, Bottolo highlighted confidence as a decisive factor. He said approaching matches with awareness and consistent work reduced anxiety and allowed performance to follow naturally. That mindset reflected a year in which he became more established within the Italy national team structure.

Mattia Bottolo

Increased responsibility with Italy

During the 2025 season, Bottolo took on greater responsibility at international level as Italy defended its world championship title. Having already experienced success earlier in his career, the year was characterised by stability in his role and a more controlled approach to preparation.

He described 2025 as a period of growth rather than breakthrough, noting improvements in how he managed expectations and pressure at the highest level of competition.

Completing a biology degree alongside competition

Away from the court, Bottolo reached a significant academic milestone. In 2025, he completed his bachelor’s degree in biology, finalising his thesis and graduating while continuing to compete in international tournaments.

He acknowledged the challenge of managing both commitments simultaneously, stating that volleyball and university each demanded substantial time and focus. According to Bottolo, careful organisation and accepting that both paths could not always be pursued at the same intensity were essential.

Mattia Bottolo

Education as a personal choice

Bottolo began his university studies out of personal interest rather than as a contingency plan. He said his decision was driven by curiosity about biology, without attempting to define how it might fit into his life after volleyball.

This perspective also informs his view on younger athletes. He believes that at an early age, it is possible to pursue both education and sport, adding that a professional career in volleyball is not permanent and requires long-term preparation.

Ongoing focus on improvement

Despite team success, Bottolo considers his individual development ongoing. He identified passing, serving and spiking as areas where further progress is possible, even after improvements made during the previous season.

Outside of training and study, he spends his free time playing cards and watching anime, often together with teammates.

Bottolo’s 2025 season reflected a balance rarely maintained at elite level, combining academic completion with sustained performance in international volleyball.

La Prosecco Doc Antonio Carraro Imoco Conegliano cade nel big match contro la Numia Vero Volley Milano e perde l’imbattibilità in regular season. Al Palaverde il confronto si chiude 3-1 per la squadra di Lavarini (22-25, 25-19, 31-29, 25-20), trascinata da una Paola Egonu decisiva nei momenti chiave. Le pantere non perdevano in regular season dal 4 dicembre 2022.

Conegliano parte con il sestetto formato da Wolosz, Haak, Gabi, Zhu, Chirichella, Lubian e De Gennaro libero. Milano risponde con Bosio in regia, Egonu opposto, Piva e Lanier in banda, Danesi e Kurtagic centrali, Fersino libero.

L’avvio è tutto delle gialloblù, aggressive fin dai primi scambi: sul 3-8 Conegliano capitalizza errori avversari e pressione offensiva, mentre il primo punto diretto di Milano arriva solo con Egonu sul 4-9. Le pantere controllano il set grazie ai muri di Lubian e alla continuità in attacco, resistendo al rientro finale di Milano fino al 25-22 che vale l’1-0, con l’ingresso di Sarah Fahr nell’ultimo scambio.

Nel secondo parziale cambia l’inerzia. Milano cresce a muro e inizia a toccare molti palloni (7-3), mentre Conegliano prova a rimanere agganciata con i pallonetti di Haak e i turni al servizio di Chirichella. L’ingresso di Daalderop riporta equilibrio sul 16 pari, ma alla distanza emerge la maggiore solidità lombarda in ricezione (76% contro 54%) e la minor incidenza di errori: Milano chiude 25-19.

Il terzo set è il più combattuto. Santarelli ruota le schiacciatrici, inserendo Sillah, ma il duello tra Gabi ed Egonu accende il parziale. Il muro di Conegliano fatica a contenere l’attacco avversario e si arriva ai vantaggi. Nel finale è ancora Egonu a fare la differenza, firmando i punti decisivi che portano Milano avanti 2-1.

Nel quarto set le pantere inseguono fin dall’inizio (10-6). Haak cala di efficacia e lascia spazio ad Adigwe, mentre anche Sillah viene sostituita da Zhu. Conegliano prova a rientrare con gli attacchi di Fahr e Adigwe, ma Milano mantiene il controllo del gioco. Egonu continua a colpire con continuità e precisione, mettendo a terra il pallone che chiude il match e consegna la vittoria alle lombarde.

Per Conegliano, in una serata complicata, resta la nota positiva del rientro in campo di Sarah Fahr, tornata a disposizione dopo l’assenza. Milano, invece, manda un segnale forte al campionato battendo le campionesse d’Italia in carica.