MATCH INFO

Tokyo, Japan, December 3, 2011 - Serbia picked up their fourth win of the 2011 FIVB Men’s World Cup, and their third win in a row, against China on Saturday at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, taking the match 3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-19, 25-12). It marks the second straight day that China was up a set (they were up 2-1 versus Cuba on Friday), but ended up losing the match.

Leading Serbia in scoring was Nikola Kovacevic and Ivan Miljkovic, both with 17 points. For China, the leading scorer was Yuan Zhi who notched 19 points in the contest to lead all players.

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The first set was a see-saw battle that saw China jump up four from the start on a great Zhong Weijun block on Miljkovic. But Serbia’s captain rebounded with four hard spikes during a 10-4 run by his side to edge ahead 10-8. China overtook them again with an ace by Zhang and a block by Liang Chunlong on Dragan Stankovic, but Marko Podrascanin delivered his own ace to draw even at 15-15. Liang’s second block (on Milos Nikic) put his side up 19-16, but Serbia would again overtake them on strong Miljkovic attacking to grab set point at 24-23. After a Podrascanin net serve, China’s Yuan took control, spiking off a Serbian blocker, taking set point for his side as the ball landed just out. Another Yuan spike gave them the set 26-24.

China looked far more shaky to start the second though with Yuan sailing a pair of spikes out to let Serbia up 9-5. The Chinese came back within one on a flying tip from Yuan that found its mark, but a Nikola Kovacevic ace and a hard spike from Nikic put Serbia up 16-13 at the second TTO. Kovacevic kept attacking well down the stretch, and a great Stankovic block on Liang (his second) put Serbia ahead 21-14. A pair of errant spikes let Serbia take the set, 25-18, evening the match at a set a piece.

Liang’s third block of the match put China ahead 9-5 to start, but three errors by his squad allowed Serbia to tie 10-10. China continued to make mistakes mid-set, and a Miljkovic block on Zhang Chen put his side out in front 18-16. He followed with an ace soon after to extend to 21-18, and Serbia would close with ease from there, 25-19, two sets to one.

Perhaps sensing victory, Serbia came roaring out in the fourth taking 11 of the first 13 points, including a picture-perfect ace from Miljkovic and Marko Podrascanin’s fourth block of the match. They would cruise on to take the match from there, as Aleksandar Atanasijevic and Milan Rasic brought energy off the bench, taking seven of the last eight points to close 25-12.