Serbia Ends Losing Streak with Straight-Set Sweep of Dominican Republic

Serbia finally snapped its four-match losing skid, delivering a dominant straight-set victory over the Dominican Republic with scores of 25–19, 25–23, and 25–18. The win marked Serbia’s second victory in the 2026 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League on Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Both teams came into the match looking to find their form, but Serbia controlled the contest from the opening whistle. With sharper execution, better reception, and stronger consistency in key moments, the Serbians methodically broke down the Dominican resistance.

Serbia relied heavily on the all-around performances of Anja Zubić and Branka Tica, who delivered strong attacking output while anchoring the team’s serve-receive game—particularly crucial in securing the third set, an area that had troubled them during their recent slump.

The Dominicans remained competitive through much of the third set, but setter Sladjana Mirković orchestrated Serbia’s attack with precision, consistently feeding her hitters. The match ended on a powerful kill by Zubić, sealing the sweep.

After four consecutive defeats—including three heartbreaking five-set losses—Serbia finally broke through in impressive fashion.

Zubić led the charge with 16 points (13 spikes, 2 blocks, 1 ace), while Nina Ćajić added 13 points and maintained her steady form throughout the match.

“I think we did what our game plan was, which was to do the little things. And I think we did them right sometimes, [but] sometimes we didn’t. It was the right match for us to work on certain things, and I’m happy it was a victory,” said the 24-year-old Ćajić.

Serbia jumped out to a commanding lead in the first set, building an eight-point advantage thanks to the combined efforts of Zubić and Tica. Although Yonkaira Peña Isabel helped the Dominicans stay close, late errors proved costly as Serbia took the set.

The second set was tighter, but Serbia again showed resilience. Tica produced key points to establish a lead, and after the Dominicans fought off several set points, Ćajić delivered the finishing attack.

Solid defense was also pivotal, with Ćajić and Zubić combining for 17 digs. Mirković stood out as the conductor of the offense, recording 26 excellent sets and 11 digs.

With the victory, Serbia improved to 2–5 and will face a strong challenge against the United States on Sunday as they look to gain momentum.

The Dominican Republic dropped to 0–6. Geraldine González led their scoring with 11 points, while the Martínez sisters, Jineiry and Brayelin, contributed 10 and 8 points respectively. They will face Japan on Saturday in search of their first win.