Yokohama, Japan, October 18, 2018 - Serbia continue to aim for their best-ever FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship result in Friday's semifinal encounter with the Netherlands, a team which has already attained its best finish in the history of the competition.
2018 FIVB Women's World Championship semifinals:•
Serbia v Netherlands•
China v ItalyMatch for fifth place:
Head-to-head
· Earlier in this tournament, Netherlands defeated Serbia in straight sets in their final match of the second round.
· Serbia, who had already qualified for the Final Six, rested Tijana Boskovic in that match, the tournament's best spiker. No Serbia player registered more than 10 points in that match.
· Netherlands, needing to win only a single set in that match, were led by Lonneke Slöetjes's 23 points. It was their first victory over Serbia at World Championships.
· These teams also met at the World Championships in 1978 and 2014. In 1978, Serbia won 3-1 in the first round while four years ago, Serbia defeated the Dutch in straight sets in the second round.
· Earlier this year, these teams also met in the Volleyball Nations League. On June 7, Netherlands overcame 37 points by Tijana Boskovic to emerge victorious 3-2 in front of a home crowd in Rotterdam.
· In 2017, these sides met in the final of the European Championship, when Serbia won 3-1 in Baku.
Serbia· With a victory, Serbia will be guaranteed their best finish at the World Championship. Their best showing in the competition is a third place finish in 2006 (as Serbia and Montenegro).
· In 2006, they lost their semifinal 3-1 against Brazil before defeating Italy 3-0 in the bronze medal match.
· Serbia have already improved on their performances from 2010 and 2014, when they finished in eighth and seventh place respectively.
· Serbia started this tournament with seven straight victories, before losing two in a row. They have now won their last two.
· Tijana Boskovic (56.39% success rate) is the tournament's best spiker. Silvija Popovic is the tournament's best digger, averaging 3.31 per set.
Netherlands· Netherlands are already guaranteed their best finish at the World Championship. Their previous best showing in the competition was a seventh place finish in 1998.
· Volleyball teams representing Netherlands only won one world championship medal. On the men's side, they claimed a silver medal in 1994, losing the final to Italy.
· Netherlands have to play semifinals of a world level major tournament for the third time, losing on both previous occasions: 3-1 against Brazil at the 2016 World Grand Prix and 3-1 against China at the 2016 Olympic Games.
· Netherlands have won nine of their 11 matches in this tournament, only losing to Brazil (3-2) in the second round and China (3-1) in the Final Six.
· Netherlands' nine victories in Japan are as many as they won at the previous two World Championships combined (5 in 2010, 4 in 2014).
· Netherlands have won six matches at the 2018 World Championship by a 3-0 score line, including against Serbia in the second round. They have never won seven matches in straight sets in a single edition of a world level major competition.
· Lonneke Slöetjes leads Netherlands on 238 points in this tournament. Only Italy's Paola Egonu (246) has scored more in this tournament.
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