After one of the greatest triumphs in the history of Montenegrin women's volleyball, another fantastic result has arrived.
The Montenegrin men's U19 volleyball team defeated Bulgaria 3:2 (25:20, 25:21, 23:25, 21:25, 16:14) at the opening of the Balkan Championship in Banja Luka.
Coach Dejan Radić's team had a big advantage and good rhythm in the duel with the selection that was second at the European U17 Championship in Podgorica, 2023, but had to work hard for the opening victory in the tournament, which they achieved after more than two and a half hours of volleyball.
Great opening of the Balkanijada in Banja Luka, despite the initial 7:2 for Bulgaria. Dejan Radić's team caught up with their rivals at 11:11, and from 14:13 took the lead, which they did not let go until the end of the set. It grew to +6, and there were no problems in the final set, so Montenegro led with 25:20.
Our cadets continued their fantastic rhythm in the second set, in which they immediately established control, and Bulgaria chased the “reds” until the very end. Again calm and experienced, Montenegro took a 2:0 lead, with 25:21 in the second set.
It seemed that Montenegro would open the Balkan Championship with a sensational maximum victory, as our team gained a few points early on. Bulgaria tied it at 5:5, turned it around at 7:6, and from then on our volleyball players were behind.
They applied pressure, wanting to finish the match in three sets, but Bulgaria managed to win the second set point and reduce the lead from 25:23 to 2:1.
A similar development took place in the fourth set, in which the Bulgarians played at a much higher level, and responded in kind. With a four-point lead at the end of the set, they tied the game at 2:2 and took the match to a tie-break.
In it, our cadets put up a great fight against one of the best European teams in the U19 competition. Montenegro led 3:1, but responded after a timeout, and turned the game around to 5:4, and Bulgaria gained +2 for the first time before the end - 8:6.
Despite everything, the "reds" did not give up. A 13:7 deficit, the rhythm that was on the side of the rival, its reputation - everything was against them. In the crucial moments - six consecutive points by Montenegro and a great comeback at 13:13, and then a saved match point and two phenomenal blocks to end and a great victory.
Montenegro achieved this through team play, and the most experienced players stood out in terms of scoring - Luka Lojić with 24 points and Vuk Stanojevic with two fewer.
Filip Milosavljević and Uroš Konatar each scored nine points. After a phenomenal victory, Radić's men face another European giant - the Serbian national team, whom they will meet in the second round, tomorrow at 13 pm.
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