The Serbians managed to take small leads early into the sets, but the control of the scoreboard was largely in Czech hands. A 4-0 advantage in serving aces, a 45-43 edge in spike kills and, most of all, more precision expressed by 17-23 in unforced errors, tilted the match outcome Czechia’s way. Opposite Patrik Indra produced a match-high 14 points, all in swings at a 64% success rate, including the match winner for the Czechs. Outside hitter Lukas Vasina added another 13 points, including half of the team’s aces.
“I think you could see it in our celebrations how much we appreciated this kind of a win against Serbia. It doesn’t happen very often to us. We built this team in a hard way, struggling and fighting for each other. I am very happy that everything was worth it,” middle blocker and captain Adam Zajicek told VBTV. “But it is only the first step for us. The Championship continues and we know that we have Brazil and China, and to continue through to the playoffs, we have to beat at least one more opponent. We will see what is going to happen, but after this we are full of confidence that we can beat almost everybody. We are young (not me, but the rest of the team). These guys are crazy. These guys are pushing a lot. They are hungry. They want to be successful, not only with a club team, but also with the national team. We are highly motivated to show the world that the Czech Republic is no longer a small volleyball country, but we are growing up.”
Serbian outside hitter Pavle Peric also put away 14 points to share the top scorer honors with Indra. Opposite Drazen Luburic added another 12.
