Euphorically, strongly and powerfully, our under-19 team members continued their competition in the Osijek group of the World Championship. After beating Germany in five sets the day before, they also defeated Mexico on the second day, with a score of 3:1 (25:17, 23:25, 25:22, 25:19).

They were unstoppable in attack, scoring 52 points against their opponents’ 36 points. They were better in the block (13-11) and tied on serve (5-5), but still committed too many mistakes (31-28).

Asja Zolota was the most effective, scoring 24 points and adding two blocks. Maša Mlinar contributed with 13 points (including three aces), Klara Vasilj with 12 (including six blocks), and Lana Francetić with 10. Čaušević scored six points, Ivković three, and Prkačin two.

The first set gave a hint that it would be another Croatian victory. After the initial 1:4 deficit, our players quickly took control of the game, took a 13:6 lead with a 10:0 series on the Mlinar serves, and maintained that advantage until the end. In the second set, there was a fall, entering into a series of mistakes, especially in the end, which led to a tie at 1:1.

In the third set, the Croatian juniors dominated again, but the ending brought some tension. After leading 22:19, the Ilić team asked for a break with a score of 23:22, and then won that key set with two consecutive points. The fourth set was similar to the first, with a playful and safe game, it was played without much stress.

Voter Svetlana Ceca Ilić said after another victory:

I am overjoyed because we won the match with three points. We were right when we kept Mexico close to us. They played the final of the Pan American Games five days ago, and we had material from that competition, in which we saw that their physical appearance can be easily deceiving. What was important for us was not to deviate from the agreed tactics at any moment, because we knew that we would need them very much. These are speedy and technically literate players, and it is not easy to play against them. It may have looked different from the stands, but there were a lot of points after which we needed to catch our breath. I think we did a great job, even though we might have wished for a 3:0 victory. However, we shouldn’t be ungrateful, because, despite many mistakes, we had to take risks due to Mexico – we had to attack them tactically. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as well as against Germany. It exhausted us. Congratulations to the team – this victory was built throughout the entire preparation period. It is a collective victory, and the players who came off the bench also made an important contribution.

The Croatian national team will play its next match tomorrow, Friday, at 18:15 against Canada.

SOURCE: Croatian Volleyball Association