In front of a buzzing crowd at the brand-new sports hall in Sisak, Ribola Kaštela claimed a well-deserved and emotional victory over arch-rivals Mladost Zagreb to lift the SuperSport Croatian Cup Snježana Ušić trophy.
The final had all the makings of a classic. Mladost came in as favorites and took control early, winning the first set 25-20 with confidence. But that would be their peak. Ribola Kaštela dug deep, turned the tide in the second set with a nail-biting 25-23 finish, and then completely dominated the third (25-12), leaving Mladost scrambling for answers.
The fourth set saw Mladost try to rally, but Kaštela stayed composed, aggressive, and united—eventually sealing the win with a decisive 25-19. The final score: 3-1 in sets for Ribola Kaštela.
Leading the charge was Ivana Nedeljković with 15 points, while Dajana Bošković and Dijana Karatović each added 14. On the other side, Leonarda Grabić (15 pts) and Mirta Freund (14 pts, 7 blocks) stood out for Mladost, but the team’s 33 unforced errors ultimately told the story.
“We Believed and We Delivered,” Says Ribola Coach
After the match, Ribola coach Mario Teppert couldn’t hide his pride:
“We knew the quality of Mladost, but we also knew our own. Even after losing the first set, we stayed true to our plan. The girls executed perfectly, especially on serve and defense. They earned every point. I’m incredibly proud.”
Meanwhile, Mladost coach Darko Nojić admitted his team couldn’t recover after a shaky second set:
“We started nervous, full of unforced errors. Even though we won the first set, we couldn’t regain control. Ribola sensed our vulnerability and never looked back. They deserved the win—no doubt about it.”
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