Tijana Boskovic leads Serbia with 26 points.
Serbia secured a crucial straight-sets victory against Belgium on Friday in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. This win marks their second of the Women`s Volleyball Nations League season and significantly boosts their position, creating more distance from the relegation zone. The reigning world champions now sit in 15th place in the current VNL standings with 11 points from a 2-9 record, placing them just behind Belgium, who are 14th with 8 points from a 3-8 record.
In a decisive 3-0 match (26-24, 25-19, 25-16), Tijana Boskovic was the undisputed star for Serbia, contributing an impressive 26 points. Her performance included three successful blocks and an ace, alongside a remarkable 61% attack efficiency, leading all scorers in the match. Outside hitters Vanja Ivanovic, aged 20, and Aleksandra Uzelac added valuable support with 12 and 11 points respectively. For the Belgian side, their top scorer was 17-year-old Liese Verhelst, also finishing with 11 points.
“This is a big victory for us. I am so happy and so proud of the team. We finally could find our game and put it on a higher level. That’s it! We will continue pushing,” Serbia’s setter Sladana Mirkovic commented after the game.
The next VNL match scheduled in Apeldoorn will feature Czechia taking on Turkiye, starting at 20:30 local time (18:30 UTC).
Jasper Thornfield