The European newcomers secure their first-ever World Championship victory.
Slovenia’s Fatoumatta Sillah in attack against Argentina
Making history, first-time participants Slovenia achieved their inaugural FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship win on Tuesday. This significant victory not only marked a milestone but also preserved their chances of advancing to the eighthfinals in the current edition held in Thailand. In their final Pool D match in Nakhon Ratchasima, Slovenia delivered a decisive shutout against Argentina, eliminating them from contention. This win propelled Slovenia to second place in the pool standings with a 1-2 win-loss record and 4 points, leaving Argentina in third with 1-2 and 3 points.
Slovenia`s advancement now hinges on the outcome of the last pool match between USA and Czechia, scheduled for 19:30 local time (12:30 UTC). Should the table-leading USA triumph, Slovenia will secure their spot in the eighthfinals. However, if Czechia wins, they will surpass both Argentina and Slovenia in the standings, claiming the coveted second-place position and the eighthfinal berth.
Slovenia asserted control for the majority of the match after seizing the lead midway through the first set. The team sealed a dominant 3-0 victory (25-20, 25-22, 25-21) when their 22-year-old outside hitter, Fatoumatta Sillah, executed a block-out hit for the winning point, sparking celebrations.
The European squad’s success was well-deserved, demonstrating superiority across all three scoring categories: 42-35 in spike kills, 6-1 in aces, and 9-7 in kill blocks. Sillah was a standout performer, contributing 20 attack points and two aces, totaling a match-high 22 points. Opposite Eva Zatkovic added three kill blocks to her 11-point haul. Captain and middle blocker Sasa Planinsec displayed remarkable efficiency with a 78% spike success rate and also recorded three kill blocks, reaching a total of 10 points.
“Oh, my god! It’s surreal right now! I can’t even believe it!” Sillah exclaimed while speaking after the game. “Two days ago, we did a really good job in the first two sets, but in the end, we didn’t manage to win and that was really hard for us, because we’ve worked really hard and we wanted to win so badly. We did a lot of thinking, forgot that game and came back to fight, because we knew we could do it. And we did it! So, I am very happy!”
For Argentina, 22-year-old opposite Bianca Cugno was the top scorer, delivering 16 points, including two blocks.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick