Pioneers Make Their European Championship Debut Against the Hosts
Pioneer women’s volleyball team of Montenegro, Photo: OSCG
The Montenegrin U16 women’s volleyball team has arrived in Pristina to participate in the European Championship from July 13 to 16.
Fourteen players are making the trip, accompanied by head coach Petar Koković. The coaching team also includes assistant coach Nikola Radomirović, fitness coach Jovan Ristić, psychologist Andrea Laković, physiotherapist Mitar Andrović, and statistician Ismet Istrefi.
Here’s the squad for the U16 European Championship: Technicians: Nađa Peković and Staša Jovović; service receivers: Elena Jovanović, Jelena Ćorović, Mia Podjanin, Jana Mrdak; correctors: Klara Đukić, Jelena Glušac, and Đina Lekić; middle blockers: Sofija Duletić, Bojana Krasnići, Minja Mišević; liberos: Sara Striković and Marija Zlajić.
Coach Petar Koković remarked, “After nearly a month of training, it’s finally time to head to the European Championship. I commend the players for their hard work during preparations and hope we can channel this into effective gameplay. We are facing a demanding schedule in Pristina—seven matches in nine days—so I expect all 14 players to contribute. We aim to compete fiercely against each national team we encounter.”
The Montenegrins will kick off their campaign on Wednesday, July 2, against the host nation Kosovo at 20:00. The following day, Thursday, July 3, they will take on Hungary at 15:00. A challenging series continues on Friday, July 4, with a match against the Greek national team at 15:00, followed by a rest day.
On Sunday, July 6, our pioneers will meet Croatia at 12:30, and on Monday, July 7, they face the Czech Republic at the same time. The final two matches of the group stage are scheduled for July 9 and 10, where Montenegro will compete against Turkey (15:00) and Slovenia (12:30).
The semi-finals and medal matches will take place in Tirana, where Group I matches are also being held concurrently.
It’s worth noting that our youngest athletes made history by qualifying for the European Championship, concluding the second round of qualifications in Slovenia as the only undefeated team, having not lost a single set.
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