The big sensation at the Women's World Volleyball Championship in Thailand came from the elimination of the reigning champion Serbia. Zoran Terzic's team ended their participation in the round of 16, after losing to the Netherlands 2:3 (25:27, 24:26, 25:22, 25:20, 11:15). The decisive factor proved to be the absence of the injured Tijana Boskovic - the heart and engine of the team. Without their leader, the Serbians lost confidence and concentration in critical moments.

Missed opportunities and collapse in decisive moments

Serbia started strong and had a comfortable lead in the first two sets, but allowed dramatic turnarounds. In the first set, the "Blues" led 23:20, but a series of errors and a punishing rotation left them empty-handed. In the second set, history repeated itself - a 14:10 lead was not enough. The Netherlands played freely and coolly, while the Serbian team seemed paralyzed by tension.

Ivanovic and Uzelac brought back hope

When the Dutch led 18:15 in the third set, it seemed that everything was over. Then young Vanja Ivanovic led with bold attacks and managed to turn the tide of the match. In the fourth part, Aleksandra Uzelac excelled, and with her powerful spikes brought Serbia back into the match and brought everything to a tie-break.

The last word belonged to the Netherlands

In the decisive fifth set, however, the "Tulips" showed stronger mentality. They quickly took the lead and did not allow another comeback until the end. Thus, Serbia ended its participation much earlier than expected, and the world will have a new champion after seven years.

photos:volleyballworld.com