Serbian Volleyball Team Defeats Slovenia 3-1 in Preparation Match

Slovenia's men's national volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat against Serbia in their first preparation match for the upcoming European Championship, held in Belgrade. The friendly game saw a closely fought contest, with Serbia ultimately prevailing 26-24, 27-25, 31-33, 25-23.

The match provided valuable preparation for both teams ahead of the continental tournament, which will be co-hosted by Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, and Romania. Slovenia, who recently secured a bronze medal in the Nations League, faced a Serbian team that did not advance to the final eight of that competition.

Slovenia showed resilience by fighting back from a two-set deficit to win a lengthy third set 33-31. However, Serbia managed to close out the match in the fourth set. Nik Mujanović was the top scorer for Slovenia with 24 points, followed by captain Tine Urnaut with 16. For Serbia, Veljko Mašulović led with 12 points.

Both teams will continue their preparations with a second match in Belgrade on Thursday. Coach Fabio Soli had 14 players available for the first friendly, with the exception of experienced middle blocker Alen Pajenk, who is returning from injury. Libero Jani Kovačič, also recovering from a finger injury, was available for selection.