Serbia W vs Germany W

Serbia controlled the opener from the service line, forcing Germany into early errors and building a comfortable lead that never dipped below three points after the midway mark. The 25-20 scoreline gave the hosts a platform, but Germany tightened up in the second set.

Set two was the tightest of the night. Germany matched Serbia point-for-point until 22-22, when a Čajić kill and a German attack error gave Serbia set point. Another German miscue handed the set 25-22.

The third set followed a similar pattern. Germany trailed 16-13 but clawed back to level at 23-23 — their best chance to force a fourth set. Čajić responded with a hammered cross-court winner, and Germany's subsequent attack error handed Serbia the set 25-23 and the match.

Germany's 23-23 equaliser in the third set was the moment the match hung in the balance. A fourth set would have given the visitors momentum and tested Serbia's depth after Masa Kirov had left the court with an injury. Čajić's immediate answer — a clinical kill from the left side — broke Germany's resistance. The following German attack error sealed the result.

• Nina Čajić (Serbia W) — MVP: A match-high 22 points, earned after receiving late medical clearance for a hamstring strain. The outside hitter was the primary attacking outlet throughout and delivered when it mattered most at 23-23 in set three.
• Branka Tica (Serbia W): Added 10 points with efficient attacking, providing reliable secondary scoring alongside Čajić.
• Masa Kirov (Serbia W): Contributed nine points before leaving the court with an injury. Her departure in the third set briefly disrupted Serbia's rhythm.
• Tijana Boskovic (Serbia W): Made her first appearance of the 2026 VNL, coming off the bench to score her first point of the tournament.
• Maria Tabacuks (Germany W): Led Germany with 10 points, but the visitors lacked a second consistent scorer to challenge Serbia's block.

Player of the Match: Nina Čajić (Serbia W)

The set scores — 25-20, 25-22, 25-23 — tell a story of three close sets that Serbia found a way to close. The two-point margin in sets two and three reflects how narrow the gap was on the scoreboard, but Serbia's ability to win the decisive rallies was the difference. The total points differential was 75-65, suggesting the match was more competitive than the sweep indicates.

Serbia (3-7, 14 points, 13th place) and Germany (4-5, 14 points, 10th place) were already out of contention for the VNL Finals in Macao before this match. For Serbia, the win was a morale boost in front of a home crowd after a difficult campaign.

Germany's week continued with a 3-0 win over Bulgaria on 12 July, while Serbia swept the Netherlands 3-0 on the same day. Neither side qualified for the Finals (22–28 July in Macao), where USA, Italy, Brazil, Türkiye, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, and host China contested the title.

Serbia's straight-sets win was built on the individual brilliance of Čajić, who played through injury to deliver the defining performance. Germany stayed competitive in every set but lacked the firepower to finish — a recurring theme in a campaign that yielded only four wins from nine matches. With both teams already eliminated from Finals contention, this was a dead rubber that Serbia used to give its fans a final home victory.