OK Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 3:1 (superliga play-off final, 4th match)

That’s it. End of the story.
It’s... just no. What an injustice. We have been undefeated for the entire season, and we failed here, in the final.
It started terribly, Zvezda won the first part to 25:14. We were again like a U14-team. 4:1, 10:5, 15:10, 23:13. We picked ourselves together for the second period. We were on the lead, Zvezda was always behind us with 1-2 points. They even took the lead here and there (5:4, 17:16), but we could always equalize and gain back our advantage. It was a battle of giants, finally thanks to Petar Nikolić and his blocks (among others) we won the set to 22:25.
The third part... Well, I don’t know what happened. I mean, to Partizan. Because to Zvezda a 8-point (!!!) series happened at 16:13. They were leading with 10 points (23:13). The one and only thing left for us was the glorious death. We got it. The result of the period was 25:17, Zvezda was leading to 2:1, but still at this point Average Fan had a struggling, stubborn hope that not all was lost yet.
The last part was the battle of nerves. It was a nip and tuck game, at a point we were on the lead continuously with 3 points. Marko Nikolić took the team on his back, he scored 25 points during the game.
Then for unknown reasons we halted at 16:20 and Zvezda reduced the difference. It was 21:22. They equalized to 23:23, then to 24:24. They took the lead (25:24). We equalized. Then... well, then Zvezda scored two points. 27:25. They won the set, the match, the final and eventually the championship title as well.

That’s all, folks. It was unquestionably a fantastic achievement to get to the final without being defeated during the entire season. If not else, then for this the team do deserve all respect.

OK Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 1:3 (superliga play-off final, 3th match)

WE WON!!!!
Oh, God.
It was again a match when we came back from the grave.
The first part was the bloody, ice-cold, ruthless death itself. Zvezda took the lead, made it to 12:3 (!!!). As if they would have been playing not against a so far undefeated team, but against a group of U14 players. We were struggling for the entire set. 15:6, 19:7, 21:11. Finally at 25:14 our sufferings have come to an end.
Average Fan was looking forward to the second part in a "whatever"-mood. And then again I don’t know what happened here, what Vladimir Vasović said (or didn’t say) to the boys. Because in the second part of the game the two teams had a nip and tuck battle in the beginning, but then we took the lead (3:4) and didn’t let control out of our hands until 9:9. There was a short period, when Zvezda overwhelmed us again. (16:12)
And then the volleyball team made the Resurrection of the Year.
We equalized. 17:17.
We took the lead!!! 17:18!!!
And from this point on we did not let it go. We won the second part to 22:25.
In the third part Parni valjak ran through the red team, led by Marko Nikolić. 1:5, then 3:8, 5:10, 9:14, 10:17... what a joy it was to see. The end was 20:25, we switched the standing!!! 1:2
For the last part Zvezda picked themselves together. The battle got more tense, but we were on the lead for the whole time. Marko Nikolić carried the team on his back, he scored 26 points during the game. At a point Zvezda equalized, it was 20:20, they tried not to let us sneak out of their hands (22:22). Finally the two Nikolić’s, Marko and Petar fired up restored energies, the first with attacks, the latter with blockings, and finally we won the last set to 23:25 as well as the match.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

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.