The Serbian women's volleyball team nearly pulled off a major upset against the Olympic and World champions Italy during a preparatory tournament in Djëndovë on Friday. They lost in a tense tie-break, with the final scores being 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 12-15.

Close Match

The Italian team, current Olympic, World champions, and winners of the Nations League, faced a formidable challenge from Zoran Terzić's selected squad. The Serbian team, playing without Tijana Bošković, put up an outstanding performance and even managed to lead 2-1 in sets.

Key Performers

Despite the close match, the Serbian team's inability to maintain focus in the final two sets led to a loss before their upcoming duel against Poland on Saturday at 17:00. However, there is much to be proud of in their display.

Aleksandra Uzelac, the likely future leader of the national team and the successor to Tijana Bošković, scored an impressive 27 points during the match. Anja Zubić also had a good game, adding 19 points, while middle blockers Maja Aleksić and Hena Kurtagić contributed 14 and 10 points respectively. Vanja Ivanović added seven points, and Branka Tice chipped in five. On the other side, Stela Nervini scored 21 points.

The Serbian women's volleyball team has the Nations League and the European Championship on their summer schedule.