Hanna Hellvig ahead of the Volleyball European Championship in Gothenburg

On August 21, the European Volleyball Championship kicks off. Gothenburg and Scandinavium are hosting, and for the first time ever, Swedish female volleyball players will experience an international championship on home soil.

– It's actually completely crazy when you look back at all the years I've been involved now. That we have come as far as we have, and that Swedish volleyball has come so far that they can organize an event like this, says Hanna Hellvig.

The 26-year-old grew up in a true volleyball family. Her parents have played in the Swedish Elitserien, younger sister Agnes plays, and of course, her brother and Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball, Jonatan. But now it is time for the big sister to shine.

– Maybe it's my turn now, I get to take this over from my brother, she says with a laugh.

– No, I don't know. He's shining all the time anyway, so I'll just have to try to keep up in his wake. But he played soccer before, so it was actually me who inspired him to go for volleyball.

It is a relatively new and young team that will step out onto the court in Scandinavium, but with a level of play that impresses the experienced Hellvig.

– It's a fairly new squad and I am so impressed by all the younger players. I think they have a fairly high level compared to how it used to be. So I really think we have raised our game and develop every day. We are a hungry bunch.

On a daily basis she plays for Uni Opole in Poland, and the Swedish players are scattered across the world. Japan, USA, and Germany are just some of the countries where there are Swedish national team players. Now Hellvig believes the Swedish team has good chances in the Euros, even if they aren't among the powerhouse teams.

– We are of course a bit of underdogs, maybe not in the group stage, but then in the playoffs. Hopefully we make it out of the group. That is a goal. Then we'll see, anything can happen. It depends a lot on who we face, but I think we have good chances. It's going to be exciting.

Sweden's group includes Italy, who are the reigning Olympic champions and world champions.

– It will be exciting to play against Europe's top teams and to do it right here on home soil. It will probably be the most fun tournament I have played. So I'm really looking forward to that.

It has been a long buildup to the championship. Before arriving in Gothenburg, the team has been training in Italy, among other places.

– I think it has gone really well bringing the group together. There are quite a few younger players this year, so they know each other from before. And we who are a bit older and have been around for a while know each other from before. So I think it has felt quite natural that we've managed to bring the group together well.

The first match is played at 19:00 on August 21. Sweden will then face Montenegro at Scandinavium.

– It is going to be super cool, really, says Hanna Hellvig.