OK Partizan - OK Crvena Zvezda 2:3 (superliga play-off final, 2nd match)

Do you know what it feels like when the one and only available stream collapses 10 minutes before the match?...
It is just one bit less worse than a goal against us in the 90th minute.

For my luck I could follow live scores on the league's website. Not as if that would have made me feel any better.
The first two parts could be like a dream. We won the first to 25:17, the second to 25:21. Heavenly music, fanfares, flower rain from the skies. We are leading to 2:0, what could happen?
The opponent happened. Zvezda sped up the pace

what kind of doping could they use?...

first reducing the difference (20:25), then they equalized (17:25, this part of the match could be like a nightmare), finally in the very last set they won 15:17 in a very close battle.
The hero of the match was Marko Nikolić with his 22 points. He is followed by Neven Majstorović and Dušan Lopar, they both scored 15-15 points

No. It’s just... no. We have been undefeated in the entire season. Nobody could win over us, not once. It would be the world’s biggest injustice.

Red team is on the lead to 2:0 in the aggregation. The 3rd match will be on Thursday from 18:00, we must fight with our whole heart and soul.

(photo: zurnal.rs)

The volleyball team qualified for the superliga final

My bad. I have forgotten about the volleyball team, being overly busy with basketball eternal derbies. Still our basketball players were victorious three times over Novi Pazar, qualifying themselves to the final of the Serbian superliga.
The first match was on the 16th. It was won to 3:0 by Partizan. We won the first set to 26:24, which was definitely a nice job, after Novi Pazar took the lead to 20:22. Finally, after the guest team's mistakes we won the period.
The second set was a nip and tuck game. It was unsure for long who would win. Finally Partizan made it to 28:26, after being able to control the game.
For the last part Novi Pazar slowly but surely fell to pieces. We made it to 14:10, then with the imposing series of Dušan Lopar we won the last period to 20:10.

Group hug after the first match

We won the second match to 3:1. The first part was a smooth 25:18. The second was a bit more difficult, because Novi Pazar resisted hard (at a pont they were leading to 14:17), but Marko Nikolić took the team on his back, that’s how we could win to 25:22.
The guest team cranked themselves up for the third set and they won to 22:25 after a huge battle. But the Mrdak-Majstorović duo took things under their control for the last part and the Parni valjak rolled through Novi Pazar with a result of 25:12.

Marko Nikolić in action

The last match was a victorious 0:3 away game. In the first part we made it to 11:16. We kept the five-point difference (16:21), with the final result of 18:25. The second part was even easier in the beginning (9:16). Novi Pazar stroke back and reduced the difference to 19:21, but we were unstoppable and won this set to 22:25. The final period gave a sweat to both teams. Partizan again took the lead (10:16), Novi Pazar reduced the difference again (19:21), what is more, at a point they equalized (24:24). Finally we turned out to be stronger and keeping the game more under control. We won the last set to 26:28. We qualified to the final, where we’ll meet Crvena Zvezda.

(Photos: zurnal.rs)

Radnički Kragujevac - OK Partizan 0:3 (SuperLiga play-off, 1/4 final, return match)

We made it to the semi-final!
The Marko Nikolić-Milija Mrdak axis got sped up and didn’t let the Kragujevac-based team even to find their breath. They contributed to the victory and qualifying with 13 and 17 points, respectively. (The third best scorer was Neven Majstorović, he earned 10 points.) We won the first set to 19:25, the second to 23:25 and the last one to 26:28. This latter one was a bit tough, Radnički came a bit too close, but eventually they couldn’t reduce the difference and switch it to their own benefit.
In the semi-final we’ll clash with Crvena Zvezda.

Radnički Kragujevac: Anđelić, Dobanovacki, Goić (9), Trifunović (2), Protić (libero), Perović (9), Vulović (11), Rajković (3), Ilić, Premović (18), Pantović (libero), Dačović (5)
Head coach: Predrag Srećković

OK Partizan: Ivković, Lopar (6), Kostić (2), Mulćan (libero), Mrdak (17), Majstorović (10), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Velićković, P. Nikolić (6), M. Nikolić (13), Popović
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

OK Partizan - Spartak Ljig 3:1 (SuperLiga Round 14)

Aaannndddd we are still undefeated.
The opponent came with the tranquility of the underdog, saw and won the first set to 23:25 (thanks to mostly Radosav Dojčilović, who returned after a month and a half of pause as well as to the rock hard blocks of Spartak).
In the second game we pulled ourselves together and made the best of our serves. We made it quickly to 6:2, the Milija Mrdak-Marko Nikolić axis brought their usual (great) form. We won the set to 25:18 and equalized.
In the third part the team switched to Steam Roller mode, the guests’ row of mistakes added an extra to it. The game lasted for 20 minutes only, that was enough for us to win to 25:15 and take the lead.
The opponent tried to prove themselves in the final game. They made a series of 0:4, but even that wasn’t enough against Mrdak and Majstorović, who switched to full speed at the end. We won the last set to 25:15 as well.

OK Partizan: Lopar (12), Kostić (3), Mrdak (21), Majstorović (1), P. Nikolić (5), M. Nikolić (16), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (1), Popović, Buša, Ivković
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

Spartak Ljig: Munćan (6), Perić (13), Dojčilović (17), Stevanović (10), Veljović (2), Radosavljević (5), Todosijević (libero), Simić, Gajević, Vesović, Glavinić (2), Rakić
Head coach: Bogdan Veličković

Highlights:

Current championshp standings:
1. Partizan 39 points
2. CZ 34 points
3. Vojvodina 31 points
4. Novi Pazar 25 points
5. Ribnica 17 points
6. Spartak Ljig 15 points
7. Inđija 14 points
8. Radnički 14 points
9. Mladi Radnik 12 points
10. Đerdap 9 points

OK Partizan - OK Inđija 3:2 (Serbian Cup, quarterfinal return match)

It was a dramatic match, it was open until the last minutes who'd win. The first set was won by Inđija to 17:25, but we heated up the steam roller and ran through the guests in the second, leaving them breathless (25:13). Inđija didn't gave themselves cheaply, they took back the lead (15:25), then we equalized again (25:21). The standing was 2:2, when came the final game.
The standing changed in every 30th second. We were on the lead, then Inđija equalized, we took back to the lead, Inđija equalized again, then even switched the standings, they were on the lead, then we equalized... Finally we won the last set to 23:21 and qualified to the semi-final.

(photo: zurnal.rs)

Milija Mrdak carried the team on his back again with his 30 points. Marko Nikolić brought 18 points, Dušan Lopar did 13. Neven Majstorović scored 11, Petar Nikolić 5, while Ivan Kostić added 3 points to the victory.
In the semi-final our opponent will be the winner of Mladi Radnik - Vojvodina match.