She has been a member of the senior national team of Montenegro for almost a decade, she has been available to the selectors for years, regardless of the competition, level or circumstances, she went through qualifications and preparations, but this summer she finally welcomed what she had been working for all along - the realization of what she had been working for: Montenegro's debut at the European Championship.
Mina Dragović, the 26-year-old middle blocker, can't wait for the premiere game in Gothenburg, against the hosts Sweden (Friday, 19 p.m.) in the magnificent "Scandinavia Arena".
After a grueling 40 days of preparation in Kolašin, the Montenegrin volleyball team arrived in Gothenburg last night, where they were greeted by a completely different climate than in Montenegro, with temperatures around 16 degrees.
Euphoria, excitement about the debut on the biggest stage, then the temperature "cooling" - what will it all look like on Friday?
Sweden is the favorite, and an absolute one at that, but Montenegro wants to present itself in the best light, and it didn't come for just one match, the championship doesn't end on Friday - because Italy, France, Slovakia and Croatia await them.
"After long preparations, the long-awaited European Championship is coming. We have worked hard and I think we are really ready, as the warm-up matches showed. In two matches with Austria and three with Portugal, it was clear that we had made progress, that we had achieved the desired performance. These are teams that we have often lost to in the past. We have shown continuity and quality in these matches. We are ready for the championship both mentally and physically and we will show that we have not strayed among the strong teams," says Mina Dragović.
The four best teams from the group of six will advance to the round of 16.
There are no easy opponents for debutants, they are all rivals with higher ratings, but Mina Dragović sees a special charm in that.
"We have a tough group ahead of us, but I like that, to measure our strength with stronger teams than us. To see where we are and, if we get the chance, to take a set, a point or win. There is nervousness, but it is positive and it is the result of the responsibility to show everything we have done so far, to show that the Federation is behind us and to present ourselves in the best light. Nervousness that pushes us further to get the most out of it."
Montenegro faces an even tougher and more challenging duel on the second day of the championship, on Saturday - a match against Italy, the current Olympic and world champion.
"Italy is a great volleyball power, we are aware of that, but we will not back down. We will give our maximum, we want to compete with the strongest, to see what it is like to play with world stars. I am really looking forward to such matches. As for the chance to win, we will try to look for it in every match. Realistically, we will have the biggest opportunity on the last day of the group in the match against Croatia."
Our ladies will have their first training session in the Gothenburg gym on Thursday.
The coming generations hold great promise.
Two years of hard work with coach Jovo Caković and his coaching staff have brought evident progress, and what is most difficult - continuity of results.
"We are showing much greater continuity of good play. And we qualified in a very nice way. A big plus was the engagement of coach Caković, who, together with his staff, helped us to fit in better, to find those little things that we were missing," says Mina Dragović.
Although she is only 26 years old, Mina is among the more experienced players, but she sees reason for optimism in the new generation.
"Healthy competition is always good. I have to mention a lot of young girls who joined us, some last summer, some this year, and after those two cycles, you can see a lot of progress in everyone. They are working hard and it really shows. We can rest assured, the generations that are coming promise a lot and we will be covered in all positions."
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