Istanbul, Turkey, June 20, 2015 - Montenegro had to work hard for their 3-1 (25-19, 28-26, 22-25, 25-13) win over Puerto Rico on Saturday. The European side have dominated Pool F so far having dropped just two sets in five victories.
Montenegro earned an easy 3-0 win when the two teams met in Podgorica a week ago and they were eager to prove their superiority over Puerto Rico again today. Monetengro were in impressive form from the beginning taking a six-point lead at the first technical time-out. Dominant blocking and attack from Bojic helped Montenegro preserve their advantage as they held Puerto Rico to just nine points before the second technical time-out. The European side kept their cool for the rest of the set with a strong spike from Culafic finishing things up at 25-19.
The following set also started well for Montenegro as they quickly built a four-point lead, which they were able to maintain until the second technical time-out. However, a lapse in concentration resulting in three simple errors made by Montenegrin players allowed Puerto Rico to tie the score at 16-all. Montenegro quickly got in front again, earning three set points at 24-21, but they squandered all of them providing the fans with a thrilling finish. In the end, an impressive block from Jecmenica ended the set at 28-26 for Montenegro.
Puerto Rico did not let the disappointment of that finish get to them as they started the third set well, taking an 11-10 lead. Both teams were even until, at 16-all, more errors from the European side gave Puerto Rico three points in a row. It was an opportunity Puerto Rico did not miss, as they held on to their lead, with an ace from Rivera ending the set at 25-22. The European side were able to quickly regroup and raced off to an 8-4 lead in the fourth set. They commanded the game after that with good blocking and attack from Bojic and Jecmenica giving them a convincing 25-13 victory in the final set.
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