The Netherlands stunned defending champions Serbia in a dramatic five-set battle to claim the first quarterfinal spot at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Thailand.
Playing without their injured star Tijana Bošković, Serbia fought back from two sets down to force a tie-break but fell short as the Dutch sealed a 3-2 victory (27-25, 26-24, 22-25, 20-25, 15-11). Nika Daalderop’s decisive spike ended Serbia’s seven-year reign as world champions.
Serbia outperformed the Netherlands statistically, with 72 kills and 13 blocks, but costly errors—32 compared to the Dutch 18—proved fatal. Aleksandra Uzelac shone with 31 points, while Vanja Ivanović added 24. Despite their efforts, Serbia lacked the leadership of Bošković in crunch moments.
For the Netherlands, Daalderop led with 19 points, backed by Elles Dambrink’s 17. Marrit Jasper and Britte Stuut also played key roles in securing the upset.
“It’s unbelievable—we fought for every point,” Jasper said after the match. “Reaching the quarterfinals was our first goal. Now we aim higher.”
The Dutch will face the winner of Japan vs. Thailand in the next round, while Serbia exits the tournament earlier than expected, leaving the world to crown a new champion.
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