Swedish volleyball star Isabelle Haak scored 52 points to lead Sweden to a 3-2 comeback victory over Croatia at the European Volleyball Championship.
The performance broke her own all-time European Championship single-match scoring record of 42 points by ten points.
Sweden fell behind early in the match after losing the first two sets 16-25 and 22-25.
Swedish news outlet swedenherald.com reported that what began as a nightmare start turned into a dream victory and earned Sweden a place in the tournament play-offs.
The Swedish team mounted a recovery by winning the third set 25-19 and the fourth set 25-16 to force a fifth-set tie-break.
In a tense fifth set, Sweden triumphed 23-21 to claim the match and advance to the round of 16.
Record-breaking performance
Haak, nicknamed Bella, was the primary attacking force for Sweden, converting 47 successful attacks from 83 attempts.
She added two attack blocks and three service aces to complete her 52-point tally.
The European Volleyball Championship is the continent's premier international competition for national teams, organized by the European Volleyball Confederation.
Swedish news website swedenherald.com recalled that Haak held the previous single-match scoring record of 42 points at the European Championship, a mark she surpassed by ten points against Croatia.
Sweden had opened the group stage with a 3-0 win against Montenegro and a 3-2 victory against Slovakia before losing 0-3 to Italy in their third match.
Group stage finale and recent records
Sweden will play their final group stage match against France on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Haak's feat comes during a period of remarkable individual achievements in international women's volleyball.
At the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Championship, Mexico's women's team recently won a set 25-0 against Trinidad and Tobago.
Polish sports news site Sport.pl reported that Mexican setter Paola Rivera served for the entire third set, delivering 16 of Mexico's 26 total service aces in that match.
