The head coach of the Montenegrin women’s pioneer volleyball team, Petar Koković, expressed satisfaction following his debut at the European Championship.

Our team secured ninth place in the tournament, achieving three victories.

We were close to qualifying for the World Cup.

“I feel a strong sense of regret. However, there’s nothing to regret in terms of our progress. For our first appearance at the European Championship, I believe ninth place is commendable. We demonstrated that we can compete with all teams, even defeating some of the best. With seven games over nine days, fluctuations are expected, particularly with younger teams. This experience has been both new and beneficial for us,” Koković shared with Pobjeda.

Our pioneers triumphed over Kosovo, Croatia, and Turkey, and things could have been even better had Montenegro also prevailed against Hungary.

“If we had beaten Hungary in our second match, I think the tournament would have taken a markedly better turn for us. I regret that match the most, as we had everything in our grasp but failed to clinch the fourth set. This led to a slight emotional decline, which resulted in a significant loss against Greece in the following match. I believe if we had won against Hungary, we would have performed much better against Greece and faced Slovenia with more energy, potentially qualifying for the World Championship. But what’s done is done. That’s sport—a continuous process,” he reflected.

The victory against one of Europe’s top teams, Turkey, was particularly noteworthy.

“This is undoubtedly the most significant win for this generation, proving the talent and capabilities of these players, who still have much room for growth. My coaching staff, along with everyone at the Federation, truly believes in this generation. We have a lot of work ahead and aim to fully harness the potential this team possesses,” Koković emphasized.

“The key is to keep working and not rest on our laurels. The players need to continue their development, benefiting both themselves and the national team. Training at the clubs is crucial. They have the potential; now it’s about building on that through dedication,” he added.

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