Montenegrin Volleyball Team Falls to Romania in Golden League Debut
The Montenegrin volleyball team was unable to pull off an upset in the opening match of the CEV Golden European League, falling to the tournament hosts, Romania, with a score of 3:0 (25:19, 25:16, 25:19).
The team, which finished seventh in the last European Championship, faced challenges against a revitalized Romanian squad. This match also marked the debut of coach Ivica Jevtić on the bench.
Although Montenegro started the match on a positive note, they lost momentum midway through the first set when Romania surged ahead with a five-point run, leading 14:10 on Barta’s serve. Montenegro narrowed the gap to just two points after the 40th point but ultimately finished the set with only 19 points as Romania capped it with four consecutive points for a 25:19 victory.
A similar pattern unfolded in the second set, where Romania again established a 5:0 run, taking a five-point lead at 15:10, while Montenegro could only add six more points by the end of the set.
As in the second set, Montenegro opened the third set with two quick points but soon fell behind. They managed to rally with a 4:0 run at 11:11, reacting well to Jevtić’s time-out. However, they couldn’t reverse the trend, and Romania’s lead gradually increased, reaching a maximum of +6 as they finished the match at 25:19.
The standout player for Montenegro was the hitter Đorđe Jovović, who scored eight points, while Budva players Vasilije Milenković and captain Luka Babić contributed five points each. For Romania, Čitigoj led with 16 points, followed by Raca with 11, and Barta with ten.
The Montenegrin squad will take to the court again tomorrow, facing Latvia in Mioveni at 18:30 local time. At the end of next week, Montenegro will host the second tournament in Podgorica, facing the Czech Republic and Finland on June 16 and 20, respectively. The final tournament will take place in Strumica from June 22, featuring matches against North Macedonia and Israel.
ROMANIA – MONTENEGRO 3:0 (25:19, 25:16, 25:19)
Mioveni – Sports Center “Mioveni”. Spectators: 300. Referees: Peter Sabo (Hungary), Aleksandar Vinaliev (Bulgaria).
Romania: Barta 10, Peta, Konstantin, Dumitru, Balean, Magdas, Kosinski (libero), Bala 7, Raca 11, Butnaru, Kantor (libero), Lupu 6, Ionescu, Chitigoy 16. Coach: Sergiu Stancu.
Montenegro: Ćinćur 4, Babić 5, Peruničić 1, Hadžisalihović, M. Joksimović 2, A. Joksimović (libero), V. Milenković 5, R. Milenković 1, Lečić, Lojić, Jovović 8, Rovčanin 2, Đurović, Radević (libero). Coach: Ivica Jevtić.
News