This summer, world-class opposition awaits the Swedish volleyball women. First the Golden League starting May 31, and then the European Volleyball Championship, which is the highlight of the year.
"It's much more important than the Golden League, now we can try our game but when we are at the European Championships we have to play at our best level," head coach Lauri Hakala told SVT Sport.
How does the opposition in the Golden League differ from that in the Silver League?
"There's a big difference. There are teams that have played in the World Cup and got good results. So it's a much harder job than last season.
"After the success (in the Silver League), of course you want to continue to ride that wave. Everyone knows that there is tougher opposition, but we have fought hard to get up to this level and develop our capacity, says Alexandra Lazić.
Record attendance expected
Sweden starts the Golden League with a match against Bosnia in Lund.
On June 17, one of the great nations, Belgium, awaits. The match will be played in a larger arena instead of in the sports hall in Lund, and it is predicted to be a spectator party with a new attendance record for the women's national volleyball team.
At least 3,000 spectators are expected at Sparbanken Skåne Arena to see the national team, which has gone from relatively unknown to role models both on and off the pitch.
"There is an extremely big difference. I have been with the national team for over ten years. The attention we are getting now is something else. I feel like we've done something big and we're extremely excited about it. I hope we can continue to develop volleyball in Sweden and that more people want to play and come and see us play, says Alexandra Lazić.
Here you can watch the Golden League in Play >>>