The women's volleyball team of Montenegro is still waiting for a place in the first big competition. A great chance appeared this year, when the first of two qualifying tournaments was held in Podgorica, but some of the best and most experienced players had to cancel their performances due to illness.
However, in the team led by coach Nikola Masoničić, everyone is trying to give their best, in order not to achieve a historic result.
"Preparations of the national team are going well. Unfortunately, we're not all together, we're missing a few players, but we're doing great, we have phenomenal conditions, and the coaching staff made an effort to have everything in one place due to the situation with the corona pandemic. We didn't have the opportunity to play a friendly game, which would mean a lot to us to see what kind of shape we are in, but we are trying to make up for it through training. There were some agreements with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but due to the risk of corona, in the end we did not schedule preparatory matches with them. It would still be too big a risk", says Ana Otašević, one of the most experienced members of the Montenegrin national team and deputy captain.
Our volleyball players are waiting for the moment when they will follow in the footsteps of their national team colleagues, who achieved a historic placement at the European Championship in 2019, and are now chasing their second consecutive participation.
"According to the composition of the group, maybe now we had the best chance of qualifying for the European Championship, and it's a shame that we are not complete. But, even like this, we will do our best and try to make this historic success. With us in the group are Finland, Kosovo and Slovakia. Finland is the favorite, but we will fight with everyone and see why it will be enough".
There are a lot of young volleyball players who have played in the finals of the domestic championship and the Cup, and on the other side they are led by several more experienced girls with longer experience in the national team...
"We have good chemistry, we all hang out. The younger players use our advice and try to learn as much as possible from us, so everything is exactly as it should be".
Our middle blocker managed to watch the climax of the drama in the final of the domestic championship playoffs.
"I watched the master and saw that it was a fight until the very end. It was really interesting. Obviously, there are many young players in Montenegro who are promising and have a good career ahead of them".
The girl born in Nikšić, who will celebrate her birthday on Tuesday during the preparations, also played last season in Romania, in the Štinac Bakau team...
"I am satisfied with the last season. "Because of the corona, we didn't play as usual, but in a tournament, we had several games in a row, so it was harder to recover for the next one, but all in all, it was fine," concludes Ana Otašević.
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