Serbia will make their sixth appearance in the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix
Lausanne, Switzerland, April 15, 2016 – The FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix 2016 will see 12 of the best teams in the world competing for the top spot in Group 1 of the premier annual women’s tournament.
As the new edition of the World Grand Prix nears, FIVB.com will be putting each team in the spotlight as it tries to reach the
Group 1 Finals in Bangkok, Thailand from July 6 to 10. Serbia will be the fifth side in the 12-part series of previews for the World Grand Prix.
Serbia – Making strides in tough transition
Serbia will make their sixth appearance at the World Grand Prix in 2016. In 2015, they finished eighth in the Preliminary Round of Group 1 with three wins and six losses, failing to match their 2014 exploits which saw them make it to the Final Six. Their biggest success in recent years was in 2013 when they left Japan with the bronze medal after they placed 11th overall in 2012.
Serbia celebrate a victory during the 2015 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix
Last year was a tough one for the Serbs as they failed to convert many tight games. The side played and lost all three of their tie-breakers. Their opening match ended in favour of hosts Thailand 3-2 (25-17, 15-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-11) in Bangkok. The following week, they lost two consecutive tie-breakers to hosts Russia 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-8) and the United States 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 30-28, 19-25, 15-9) in Kaliningrad.
After winning only one match – against Turkey – after two weeks of competition, Serbia followed-up with two consecutive straight-set wins on the final leg of the Preliminary Round. They won another match against Turkey 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19) and the Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19).
Serbia won 3-0 against the Dominican Republic in the preliminary round of the 2015 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix
The Serbian women’s team have become one of the fastest rising teams over the past decade, and they have developed into medal contenders in major competitions. Their rise began at the 2006 World Championship when they won the bronze medal. The following year, they claimed the silver medal at the European Championship, then made their first Olympic appearance when they finished equal-fifth in Beijing, China. They won a gold medal at the European Championship and bronze at the World Grand Prix in 2011, that further boosted their status in women’s volleyball. However, in the London 2012 Olympic Games, Serbia were plagued with injuries and exited the competition without any victory.
At the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014, Serbia finished in equal-seventh place with Japan, just missing out on the third round. After their gloomy performance at the World Grand Prix the following year, the Serbian made a huge splash at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup by winning silver, with 10 victories in 11 matches, finishing behind Asian powerhouse China. The silver medal finish gave a much bigger reward of a direct qualification to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Player to watch – Tijana Boskovic
Tijana Boskovic is one of the most promising players in recent years. With a bevy of talented youngsters that emerged in the last three years, Boskovic showed excellence on both offence and defence for Serbia. Serbian star Brankica Mihajlovic would be an obvious choice as the team’s top player, but the young Serbian lefty also stands out on her own.
She made her debut in the senior team in the 2014 World Championship in Italy but really made her presence felt the following year in the 2015 World Cup, as she emerged as Serbia’s top scorer in the Round Robin tournament with a total of 159 points, behind Korea’s Kim Yeon-Koung and Russia’s Nataliya Obmochaeva.
The world has yet to see Boskovic’s full potential, but at the age of 19, she has shown enough to impress her rivals and volleyball fans. As Serbia embarks on another campaign in 2016, Boskovic is expected to step up on her game and complement Serbia’s lethal frontline with Mihajlovic and Jovana Stevanovic.
She played for ZOK Hercegovac in 2010/11 season, then played for ZOK Partizan Vizura from 2011 to 2015. She currently plays for Eczacibasi Vitra in the Turkish League.