Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 3:1 (play-off, semifinal, 1st match)

Unbelievable.

It all started so well. The first set was like a dream. Really. Apart from a 2:1 in the beginning we were leading for the whole time. We washed up the floor of the sports hall with them. Boris Buša had an superhuman performance. He blocked, hit an ace, served, crawled on the floor if that was needed, carried the team on his back, meanwhile the other side earned a point only when we had a service foul. The difference was never too big, only 2-3 points, but that was enough. At the end the standing was 20:23, Zvezda asked for time-out. You could hear through the stream Zvezda’s coach screaming slowly and articulate into their faces "Koncentracija!!! Kon-cent-ra-ci-ja!!!" After tha we won the set to 20:25.
Trololololololol.

Pantić serves

Rotation at 5:8

Boris Buša is about to serve

That moment when Partizan smashed the ball so heavily at 20:24 that it rolled behind the pale

The second set wasn’t funny at all. We made all the possible mistakes, Zvezda took advantage of them. As if the roles of the first set would have been switched.

By the way, does anyone know what was going on with Kostić? He was playing so indisposed.

At first we equalized here and there (6:6, 8:8), sometimes we even took the lead for moments, then it was gone after 9:10. Zvezda equalized, then took the lead and didn’t let it out of their hands. The difference wasn’t big this time either, maybe 2 points. It increased only around the end, sometimes to 5 points (24:19) - this part was especially tough. Zvezda was about to get the set ball, when Lopar scored with a troll smash (24:20). We earned one more point (24:21), but it was in vain. Zvezda won the set to 25:21 and equalized.

Celebration after scoring

Time-out, Buša is wiping his forehead

Service by Kostić

In the third set the time has come for the referee. He had his first questionable judgement at 5:3. The ball dropped to the floor, out of Partizan’s area. The referee said someone from us had touched it before it dropped out. I will be honest: RTS 2’s slow motion replay didn’t show anyone from us touching the ball. Okay, if you watch it from a certain angle, twinkling heavily, you may see a fingertip touching the ball.
Maybe.
Well, the referee surely twinkled heavily. 6:3
At 7:5 came another upheaval, but this time Zvezda complained for some similar problem. Instead of 8:5 the standing was 7:6. A home player was disputing with the referee, meanwhile players started a (verbal) fight from the two sides of the net.

Finally Kostić got a yellow card, nobody knows why.
We continued the game. We didn’t let Zvezda go, at a period we took the lead again (13:15). They took it back (17:16), but we were always behind them with only 1 point. They could increase the difference only at the end (23:20), but even here Veličković did his best to reduce it (24:22). Finally Zvezda won to 25:22.

Bojan Rajković, the libero of liberos

The start of the fourth set was fantastic. We made it to 3:6. Zvezda slowly reduced it to 8:9, with the help of the referee. (You know... every time when it was critical, someone from Partizan happened to touch the ball every time when it dropped out of our area. Every time. Every single time.) We still kept ourselves (9:10), but the referee didn’t let it go at that. He continuously judged against us, so Zvezda could take back the lead (12:11). Kostić complained, even though he already had a yellow card, but the referee, didn’t even listen.
We kept ourselves until 15:15, then something happened to us. We made mistake after mistake, Zvezda made a 7-point series (22:15). At this point we could gain one more score (22:16), but that was all. It ended with 25:16, Zvezda won the game to 3:1. Next round comes on Saturday from 18:00 and it won’t stop until 3 victories.

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić (5), Jevtić (libero), Đurđević, Skrbić, Gmitrović, Milutinović (3), Jakovljević (20), Stojsavljević (8), Munćan (7), Blagojević (14), Veljović, Buculjević (7)
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

OK Partizan: Buša (16), Pantić (14), Nedeljković, Žugić, Lopar (10), Kostić (2), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (7), Polomac (8), Popović (2), Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

(photos: screenshot/RTS 2)

Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 3:1 (superliga, round 16)

It wasn’t funny.
I brought a lot of screenshots though.

Teams warm up

OK Partizan’s lineup

Introducing players

Group hug before the start

The first set was awful. We made all the possible mistakes. Zvezda was far ahead of us (15:10, 18:11, 22:12), we were mostly just assisting. It ended with 25:13, the result tells it all.
Some screenshots from the first part:

First timeout at 5:1

Receivers: Buša, Pantić and Lopar

Lopar doesn’t look happy (who would be, when the opponent leads with 8:3?...), Kostić is confused

Service: Lopar...

...Kostić...

...and Veličković

Our nervousness calmed down a bit for the second set. At 8:3 we made a fantastic series, we equalized (8:8). Zvezda tried to run away (12:8), but we worked off the difference and were constantly behind them with a step (12:11). The home team was leading for the entire set, but the difference was only a few points now and our game was more and more confident. Still Zvezda won the second part to 25:20.
Images:

Polomac getting ready for service

Earning a point

Head coach Vladimir Vasović

Battle

Dimitrije Pantić

Receivers before a service

For the third set things started to work suddenly. At the beginning we were behind them with only 1-2 points (5:4, 6:5, 7:6), then we equalized (11:11).
Then we took the lead, for the first time during the match! (12:13)
To celebrate it Popović scored a giant ace, so big that Zvezda-players had to take a few deep breaths before continuing. (12:14)
They couldn’t take back the lead for the rest of the set. Sometimes they equalized, but that didn’t last long. It was close, but we kept ourselves. We won the set to 23:25.
Images:

Polomac is about to serve

Receivers

Rajković, the best libero

Ivan Kostić

Nemanja Jokanović serves

In the last set something blew out. We got too tired or the pressure was too big. Sometimes we equalized, once we took the lead (12:14), but Zvezda equalized (15:15) and from then on they kept all in control. The fourth part ended with 25:19.
Images:

Vladimir Vasović trying to shake up the boys

It’s our turn

 Boris Buša

High five

Cleaning staff

End of the game, handshakes

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić, Jevtić (libero), Skrbić, Gmitrović, Stavlić, Milutinović (9), Jakovljević (12), Stoisavljević (11), Munćan (7), Blagojević (24), Veljović, Buculjević (3)
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

OK Partizan: Buša (15), Pantić (15), Nedeljković, Žugić, Lopar (7), Kostić (2), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (5), Polomac (7), Popović (3), Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

League table will be brought later.

OK Partizan - Spartak Ljig 3:0 (superliga, round 9)

It was an easy, smooth game without much excitement against the Ljig-based team. Well, all right, at the end there was some excitement, because the guests were leading to 5:8 at the beginning of the first set, but later it was gone. They still kept themselves during the first part, the standing was still narrow in the middle of the set (16:15), even at the end the difference was only 3 points (21:18), but we still won to 25:20.
The second set was smoother. The difference was growing, first it was 8:5, then 16:13, finally, at the end we were leading to 21:16. The always bigger Partizan-pressure got to be a too heavy weight for Spartak, the second part ended with 25:19.
At the end it was like a festival. The Buša-Veličković-Pantić axis sped up, they scored one point after the other. We made it to 16:10, then to 21:12. Spartak collapsed. The end was all fireworks, we won the set to 25:13 as well as the match to 3:0.
The heroes of the day are Boris Buša and Luka Veličković, they both scored 16-16 points. They are followed by Dimitrije Pantić (12), Dušan Lopar (9), Ivan Kostić (6) and Aleksa Polomac (5).
This time there are photos, too.

Standing with his back to the viewer, wearing #1 shirt it's Boris Buša, behind him (#5) Lopar. At the net with #15 it’s Polomac, while at the back of the photo, wearing white shirt it’s Bojan Rajkovć, everyone’s favourite libero

Group hug at the end

(photos: Facebook/Odbojkaški Klub Partizan)

League table will be brought later.
Update: current championship standings
1. CZ 24 points
2. Vojvodina 24 points
3. Novi Pazar 19 points
4. Niš 14 points
5. Partizan 13 points
6. Spartak Ljig 12 points
7. Radnički 11 points
8. Klek 9 points
9. Ribnica 8 points
10. Inđija 1 point