They made their debut in the Golden League, the strongest competition they have ever competed in, and they didn't wait long for their first victory.
She arrived earlier than many expected - already in the third match!
The Montenegrin women's volleyball team defeated Azerbaijan 3:1 (25:19, 16:25, 25:19, 25:18) at the start of the second tournament being held in Bratislava.
After losing their debut match to Spain (3:0), and then another one, with a slightly better performance against Ukraine (3:1), Jovo Caković's team played their best game so far and defeated the favorites in the "Gopas Arena".
Montenegro opened the first set well, with excellent serves and concentrated play they quickly gained a 10:4 lead. Although Azerbaijan tried to respond, our volleyball players had a great block and solid defense, so they maintained the lead without any major problems. The lead grew to 17:12, then 20:14, which allowed them to calmly bring the set to an end. The final score was 25:19 and the lead in the sets, and Saška Đurović stood out in particular with seven points won, three of which were from the block.
In the second half of the game, the Montenegrin senior team showed a slight drop in concentration. They were behind from the very beginning, while the Azerbaijani volleyball team came in much more determined. Our team tried to catch the rhythm, but a series of mistakes and poor execution of the attack allowed the opponents to maintain their advantage and equalize in the sets with a score of 25:16.
The third set was the most uncertain. Azerbaijan opened better and took the lead with 10:7, then 13:9. Then captain Nikoleta Perović, together with her teammates, turned the score around with a series of points and tied the game at 15:15.
From that moment on, Montenegro's series of turning the tables on the court began. The Montenegrin volleyball team played brilliantly in the final part of this period, allowing their team five consecutive points 24:19, then using Darja Popović's serve to take the first set lead 2:1.
Montenegro carried the momentum from the end of the third set into the fourth, taking an early lead of 8:4, then 10:5. Although Azerbaijan managed to reduce the gap to 17:16, Montenegro responded with a series of six consecutive points (22:16). The match ended with Saška Đurović serving for the final 25:18. Đurović dominated this match and deservedly won the title of MVP of the match, with a total of 23 points won.
The MVP title was presented to Đurović by Nikola Kažić, president of the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro, together with Marek Rojko, president of the Volleyball Federation of Slovakia.
Saška was followed by Nikoleta Perović with 17 points, while Teodora Čavić and Darja Popović each scored seven points. On the other side, Nikalina Bošnjaková was the most efficient with 21 points.
The “Reds” will play against the home team of Slovakia on Sunday at 18 p.m. After the tournament in Bratislava, Montenegro will face the third Golden League tournament, which will be held in Hungary from June 13 to 15. At the opening, on June 13, our volleyball team will play against the home team, while a day later they will face Portugal.
MONTENEGRO - AZERBAIJAN 3:1 (25:18, 16:25, 25:19, 25:18)
Bratislava - “Gopas arena”. Spectators: 320. Judges: Stanislava Simić (Serbia), Boško Milić (Austria)
Montenegro: Đurović 23, Perović 17, Šušić 5, Čavić 7, Madžgalj 3, Veličković (libero), Božović, Vukčević 5, Rakočević, Popović 7, Budrak 4, Đukić, Krunić (libero), Dragović 5. Coach: Jovo Caković.
Azerbaijan: Dz. Imanova (libero), Doroshenko, V. Burkova, E. Burkova, Aliyeva, Karimova 6, Bosnjakov 21, Martsalova 1, A. Imanova 7, Karimova (libero), Baydyuk, Guliyeva, Pavlenko 11, Kiriluk 14. Coach: Faig Garayev.
Bonus video:
