Nanjing, China, August 6, 2017 – Serbian lefty Tijana Boskovic scored 31 points to lead Serbia to a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21) win over hosts China in the bronze medal match of the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix Finals at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre on Sunday.
Boskovic recorded 25 attacks, two blocks and four aces to top all scorers in the match. Brankica Mihajlovic and Jovana Stevanovic also scored in double-figures and finished with 18 and 11 points, respectively. The Serbians fired 11 aces in the bronze medal victory. Zhu Ting led China with 19 points, then Yuan Xinyue and Liu Xiaotong added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Serbia matched their best record in the competition – bronze medal victory – as they also finished third in 2011 and 2013.
China’s intensity dropped late in the first set as Mihajlovic, Stevanovic and Boskovic converted on their hits to steal the first set win 25-22. China silenced Serbia in the second set and scored five-straight points to seal the second set. China struggled on their errors, while Boskovic grabbed the opportunity to score more points to secure the third and fourth set victories.
Serbia player Tijana Boskovic: I am proud of my team for the bronze medal win in the World Grand Prix. Even though we lost to Brazil in the semifinal, we showed that we still have power to play well as a team.
Serbia coach Zoran Terzic: It is difficult to play against China because they have strong attack and they have the support of their fans. We played much better today than yesterday. I am really satisfied with my team’s performance not only in the Final Six, but also for the entire tournament. We topped pool play and we only lost one match in the Finals, which is impressive. We will start to prepare for the European Championship in September.
China coach An Jiajie: We tried our best and we did well in some combinations. We had the chance to turn the tables but we lost the golden opportunity because of being too careful. I want to thank my best players for playing well despite some injuries and fatigue.
China captain Zhu Ting: Serbia put a lot of pressure on us in serve and block. I have to find the gap in their defence to score in this match.
Related links of AVC
AVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net
AVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com/
AVC Twitter: click: https://twitter.com/avcvolley
AVC Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/
AVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation