Yokohama, Japan, October 20, 2018 - Tijana Boskovic scored 26 points to lead Serbia to a 3-2 (21-25, 25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12) win over Italy in the final of the FIVB Women's World Championship on Saturday night and the Serbia captain said the team had something special.
Serbia coach Zoran Terzic: It's hard to find words. We are happy and proud. It was our dream. I have been the coach since 2002. We saw Russia and the U.S. win golds at previous World Championships and thought it would be great if we could do it. This is the biggest success in the history of Serbia women's volleyball. When I took over we were ranked something like 100th in the world.
Italy coach Davide Mazzanti: They played great. Their serve and attack made it difficult for us. Our play was not consistent. Serbia showed strength. We did well but did not reach our goal which is unfortunate.
Serbia captain Maja Ognjenovic: I am very proud of this historic victory. We played good volleyball. It was amazing. They fought well until the end. I'm proud we came back. It was tough. To be the champions is our dream come true. We have some special energy and have played together for a long time.
Serbia player Tijana Boskovic: It was a long road but we made it to historical success. I am very proud of everybody. I am happy and honored to be named MVP of the World Championship. I could not have made it without the help of the team, staff and coaches. This award will give me big motivation for the future. We played as a team and supported each other in difficult moments.
Serbia player Brankica Mihajlovic: I'm extremely happy and proud. We played well from the beginning of the tournament. Italy was strong. We showed our mental strength to come back and win.
Italy captain Cristina Chirichella: They played really well. Losing this way is really hard. We did our best to the end.
Italy player Moncia De Gennaro: It was a long tournament. We have played in the best way. It was regrettable to lose. We need to make a fresh start.