Serbia's young volleyball team finish fifth after five sets with Romania

Serbia's youth team finished fifth after the match with Romania.

Serbia's young women's volleyball team finished fifth at the Balkan Championship in Grevena. Romania won the final group match 3-2 after 125 minutes. Serbia took the first and fourth sets before losing the deciding set.

The Serbian team completed five matches during the event. Its only victory came against Montenegro in the opening round. Two later matches went to five sets and ended with narrow Serbian defeats.

Serbia begin with a clear victory

Serbia opened the championship against Montenegro. The team won in three sets and controlled the first one by a wide margin. Montenegro offered more resistance during the second set. Serbia still completed the match without giving away a set.

The opening victory placed Serbia among the early leading teams. It also provided the only straight-set success in the Serbian campaign. The following opponents created longer and more demanding matches. Serbia entered those games with one victory already secured.

Host nation Greece provided the next opponent. The teams exchanged sets throughout a match that lasted five. Serbia won the second and fourth sets. Greece took the deciding set by two points.

That result gave Serbia one point in the standings. It also showed a different match pattern from the opening round. Neither team controlled the whole contest. The outcome remained open until the last points in the fifth set.

Bulgaria and Türkiye stop the Serbian response

Serbia faced Bulgaria in the third round. Bulgaria took the first two sets and created a difficult position. Serbia answered with a strong third set. Bulgaria recovered in the fourth and completed a 3-1 victory.

The Serbian third-set win was the largest set margin of that match. It prevented a straight-set defeat and extended the contest. The response did not carry into the next set. Bulgaria reached the finish before Serbia could force another decider.

Serbia and Romania played a five-set classification match.

Türkiye arrived in the fourth round without a defeat. Serbia remained close during the middle set. Türkiye won the other two sets more clearly. The match ended 3-0 and left Serbia outside the medal positions.

The two matches produced different Serbian reactions. Against Bulgaria, Serbia won a set after falling behind. Against Türkiye, the team stayed closest only during the second set. Neither performance added another point to the standings.

Romania win the final deciding set

The last Serbian match began with a 25-22 opening set against Romania. Romania levelled the match in the second. The third set then passed the normal finishing score. Romania took it 26-24 and moved one set from victory.

Serbia produced its strongest response in the fourth set. The team allowed Romania only ten points. That wide set victory erased the immediate danger of a four-set defeat. The match moved to a short deciding set.

Romania gained the better position during the fifth set. Serbia stayed close but could not remove the final gap. Romania won the decider 15-12. The complete match lasted two hours and five minutes.

Both teams finished the day with two sets won. Romania's advantage came only in the deciding set. Serbia collected one point from the defeat. That point placed the team fifth after its five group matches.

Two close defeats shape the final position

Serbia completed the championship with one win and four defeats. The team won eight sets and lost twelve. The matches with Greece and Romania both reached a fifth set. Small closing margins decided those two results.

Romania faced Serbia in the tournament's final classification round.

The victory over Montenegro supplied three sets without reply. Serbia also took sets from Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Türkiye was the only opponent that prevented a Serbian set win. The campaign therefore contained competitive periods against four teams.

The fifth-place result ended a long Serbian medal sequence at this age level. Across the first twelve editions, Serbia collected nine medals. Seven were silver and two were bronze. The 2026 team finished outside that group in Grevena.

Serbia saved the match by dominating the fourth set. Romania recovered during the shorter deciding set. That final margin left Serbia fifth in the table.

Five matches lead Serbia to fifth place

The Serbian pionirke opened the event with a straight-set win over Montenegro. That match gave the team its only victory in Grevena. Greece then won a five-set contest against Serbia. The narrow defeat became important in the final ranking.

Bulgaria took the next match in four sets. Türkiye then defeated Serbia without dropping a set. Those results left the final match to decide fifth place. Romania and Serbia needed all five sets to settle it.

Serbia won the opening set and later forced a decider. Romania responded in the middle of the match. The Serbian team dominated the fourth set to stay alive. Romania recovered and won the final short set.

Serbia completed the tournament with one win and four defeats. Two losses came after five sets. The team finished fifth in a strong Balkan field. Earlier Serbian generations won nine medals across the previous twelve editions.

The Romanian match also showed Serbia's response after losing a close set. The players returned with stronger serving and more stable reception. Romania answered during the deciding set and protected a small late lead. Serbia still completed the tournament with another competitive performance.