The battle between high-scoring opposites Paola Egonu and Tijana Bošković was one of the main attractions of the match and the two stars ended the encounter level, with 19 points each - Egonu had 17 kills, one block and one ace, while Bošković registered 18 kills and one ace.
Besides Egonu, Italy also counted on seven points from outside hitter Caterina Bosetti and six from middle blockers Sarah Fahr and Anna Danesi and outside hitter Myriam Sylla to take the win.
"We played a very good match as a team," Sylla reflected. "Maybe in some moments we weren't playing our best volleyball, but we stuck together and pushed through it. Serbia started really aggressive, wanting to impose their game, and coming back against them is not easy. But we did a great job, supporting each other the entire time."
On the Serbian side, outside hitters Bianka Buša and Aleksandra Uzelac, with eight and seven points respectively, were the other key contributors.
After the match, Serbian captain Maja Ognjenović announced her retirement from the national team after 20 years and five Olympics on the day of her 40th birthday.
"It has been a long journey for me," she commented. "To think that I started to play for the national team in 2004, so it has been 20 years. There have been different emotions, lots of ups and downs and some unforgettable moments. It has been a part of my life that I've really liked, but now it is time for something different."
The higher number of Serbian errors (25 to 16) proved crucial, as, despite the setback, the world champions got more points in kills (42 to 39). Italy had three more blocks (seven to two) and one more ace (five to four).
