Bari, Italy, September 16, 2018 – Serbia beat Australia 3-1 to cement their second place in Pool C with three wins and one loss – and 10 points. Serbian middle blocker Srecko Lisinac was the best scorer of the match with 18 points.
Nikola Grbić, head coach of Serbia: “The clash against Australia helped us deliver the best volleyball we have been showing in this championship this far. This is a victory that we were able to seize with our fighting spirit and much focus from the first to the last point. There is satisfaction in our team since we managed to overcome such a strong opponent, whose roster includes a very experienced setter and one of the strongest liberos in the world. We are going to prepare for the challenge against Russia with a boost of self-confidence. I am expecting a vigorous reaction from the players around head coach Sergei Shliapnikov after their defeat against the Unites States. We will have to deliver an excellent performance just as we did tonight.”
Luke Perry, libero of Australia: “We are really sorry we lost this match. We did not manage to take any points from our opponents. It is a pity indeed, especially in terms of qualification to the next round. We only have to win against Tunisia now. We will need to show our best as we did while taking on the United States in order to make it to the next stage of this tournament.”