Three-set defeats to Italy and Slovenia either side of a 3-2 loss to Czech Republic had left Sweden in the bottom two of the six-team Group A in Modena, but with fixtures against fellow strugglers Greece and Slovenia to come, the Swedes still had a chance to grab a top-four place and reach the knockout stages.
That chance was ended against the Greeks, who held their nerve at the end of the first set to take a 25-23 victory, before again keeping Sweden at arm's length in the second, taking it 25-21.
With their tournament on the line, Sweden got themselves in front early in the third set and extended their lead, and won nine of the last 12 points to secure a 25-17 win, just their fourth set victory of the championship.
However, needing to produce something similar two more times, Sweden let a 16-14 lead slip in set four, as Greece went on a 5-0 run and then kept chipping away at the advantage to win 25-20. That secure the match 3-1, taking the southern side to two wins from their four matches.
Slovakia do still have the chance to qualify, but their meeting with Sweden on 16th September is likely to decide the wooden spoon in the group.
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