They made their debut in the Golden League, the most prestigious competition they have ever participated in, and they secured their first victory sooner than anticipated.

Her arrival was sooner than expected—already in the third match!

The Montenegrin women’s volleyball team triumphed over Azerbaijan with a score of 3:1 (25:19, 16:25, 25:19, 25:18) at the beginning of the second tournament taking place in Bratislava.

After losing their opening match to Spain (3:0) and then another with a slightly improved performance against Ukraine (3:1), Jovo Caković’s team delivered their best performance to date and overcame the favorites at the “Gopas Arena”.

Montenegro inaugurated the first set strongly and, with impressive serving and focused play, quickly established a 10:4 advantage. Though Azerbaijan attempted to respond, our players showcased exceptional blocking and solid defense, allowing them to maintain their lead with ease. The margin expanded to 17:12, then 20:14, enabling them to comfortably finish the set at 25:19, taking the lead in sets. Saška Đurović was particularly notable, scoring seven points, three of which were from blocks.

In the second set, the Montenegrin senior team displayed a slight dip in concentration. They fell behind from the start, while the Azerbaijani side came out markedly more determined. Our team struggled to find their rhythm, and a series of errors in attack execution allowed their opponents to hold their lead, evened the sets at 25:16.

The third set proved to be the most uncertain. Azerbaijan started strong, taking the lead with 10:7, then 13:9. However, captain Nikoleta Perović and her teammates rallied back, tying the game at 15:15.

This sparked a shift in momentum for Montenegro. They played brilliantly in the latter part of the set, achieving five consecutive points to lead 24:19, and then used Darja Popović’s serve to seize the first set lead 2:1.

Montenegro carried the momentum from the end of the third set into the fourth, jumping to an early lead of 8:4, followed by 10:5. Although Azerbaijan managed to narrow the gap to 17:16, Montenegro responded with an impressive series of six consecutive points (22:16). The match concluded with Saška Đurović serving for a final score of 25:18. Đurović excelled in this match, rightfully earning the MVP title with a total of 23 points.

The MVP award was presented to Đurović by Nikola Kažić, president of the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro, alongside Marek Rojko, president of the Volleyball Federation of Slovakia.

Following Saška, Nikoleta Perović contributed 17 points, while Teodora Čavić and Darja Popović each added seven points. On the opposite side, Nikalina Bošnjaková was the standout performer with 21 points.

The “Reds” will take on the home team of Slovakia on Sunday at 18:00. Following the tournament in Bratislava, Montenegro will participate in the third Golden League tournament, scheduled to take place in Hungary from June 13 to 15. In their first match on June 13, they will face the host team, followed by a match against Portugal the next day.

MONTENEGRO – AZERBAIJAN 3:1 (25:18, 16:25, 25:19, 25:18)

Bratislava – “Gopas arena”. Spectators: 320. Referees: 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.

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