Serbia's women's national team achieved an extremely important victory in the Volleyball Nations League 2026, after convincingly defeating the Dominican Republic 3:0 (25:19, 25:23, 25:18) in just 76 minutes of play at the tournament in the Philippines.
The success broke the five-game losing streak of our western neighbors and temporarily left Bulgaria in 17th place in the standings. Today, Marcelo Abbondanza's team will face Canada. The Bulgarians have one win from six matches played and occupy the penultimate position, while the Dominican Republic, which has yet to secure a victory since the start of the tournament, is in last place.
Serbia started the match very aggressively from the serve, showing in the very first set that they were the more motivated team on the court. Zoran Terzic's squad took leads of 5:2, 8:4, and 14:8, with Anja Zubich and Nina Chaich being the main attacking weapons. Sladjana Mirkovic contributed with three aces, and the Serbians comfortably closed the first set at 25:19.
The second set offered the most intrigue. Serbia maintained their lead throughout and seemed close to a comfortable win at 21:16. However, the Dominicans raised their level and reduced the deficit, turning the end into a true point-for-point battle. In the decisive moments, Nina Chaich converted the third set point for 25:23, and the Serbian block also played a key role in winning the set.
After the break, the Serbians finally broke their opponent's resistance. Excellent serves from Maja Aleksic and Sladjana Mirkovic secured an early 6:1 lead, and reception problems for Dominican Republic stars Brayelin Martinez and De La Peña eased the task for the Europeans. The lead gradually grew to 21:13, and the winner was clear long before the end of the match. The final set concluded at 25:18 for the ultimate 3:0 victory.
The top scorer for Serbia was Anja Zubich with 16 points, Nina Chaich added 13, and Branka Ticca finished with 9 points. For the Dominican Republic, Géraldine González scored 11 points, and Jineiry Martinez concluded with 10.
The victory is even more impressive given that Serbia continues its participation without its biggest star, Tijana Boskovic. The best volleyball player in the world is currently training in Belgrade and preparing for the representative summer. The opposite hitter is expected to join the national team for the third week of the Volleyball Nations League, which Serbia will host in the Serbian capital.
The success against the Dominican Republic is the Serbians' second victory in VNL 2026 without Boskovic and comes at a crucial moment before the upcoming match against the USA, which will also be of immense importance for Zoran Terzic's team.

photo:volleyballworld.com