November 26, 2006, Sendai, Japan: Serbia-Montenegro downed Argentina 3-1 on Sunday to continue their unbeaten run at the volleyball world championships.
The fourth-ranked Serbia-Montenegro improved to 5-0 after beating the South Americans 25-18, 25-16, 24-26, 25-17 in their Pool E match at Sendai City Gymnasium. Argentina dropped to 0-5.
Coach Igor Kolakovic once again changed his lineup, with Goran Vujevic sitting out this one. Serbia-Montenegro started brightly, with captain Nikola Grbic cleverly swatting the ball into open court after faking a spike, and then Marko Podrascanin hammered in a big spike down the middle.
Argentina went into the first TTO 8-7 up, but Serbia-Montenegro came straight back to go ahead 10-8, forcing Argentina coach Jon Uriarte to call a TO.
Ivan Miljkovic steamed down the right to crash in a big spike to make it 12-11 Serbia-Montenegro, but Argentina continued to keep tabs on their opponents.
The 19-year-old Podrascanin was working well in the middle for Serbia-Montenegro and it was another punishing spike from him that brought the second TTO with his team two points ahead.
Argentina were not playing particularly badly, but there was no spark of individual brilliance coming from the South Americans, with talisman and captain Marcos Milinkovic struggling to make his mark on the game.
Nikola Grbic rammed a spike down the Argentine throats to move the score to 20-16 and Uriarte was prompted to call his second TO. The coach didn¡Çt look happy.
Alejandro Spajic briefly gave a little hope for Argentina by rattling a spike down the middle but it was of to no avail. Set point quickly arrived and a mis-hit from Novica Bjelica caused enough confusion to earn the first bracket.
There appeared to be little of the lackadaisical approach from Serbia-Montenegro that blighted their labored victory over Puerto Rico the day before, with the team moving to the first TTO of the second set 8-6 ahead.
Argentina, on the other hand, were all over the place, with Milinkovic skewing an easy spike into the bottom of the net and Luciano De Cecco blindly setting to no one on one occasion.
A brilliant rally brought a round of applause from the crowd as the ball went back and forth before Serbia-Montenegro won the point to go 11-7 ahead and nothing seemed to be going the South American team¡Çs way.
Miljkovic forced a spike from the right onto Milinkovic and the ball ricocheted off the Argentina captain to bring the second TTO up with Serbia-Montenegro 16-10 ahead.
Vladimir Grbic crashed in to make it 20-12 and Andrija Geric found space for another smash to make it 23-13.
A foul serve brought set point and Nikola Grbic showed all his experience by faking to spike before tipping the ball into space for the second set.
The first TTO of the third set came with Serbia-Montenegro leading 8-5, courtesy of some fine work down the flanks by Miljkovic on the right and Vladimir Grbic on the left.
Argentina¡Çs heads were dropping and there was still no spark from any of the South Americans that could bring about a change in the game.
Miljkovic found a little space in the Argentine court in which to tip the ball into and bring up the second TTO with a two-point lead for Serbia-Montenegro.
Podrascanin smacked a steep rebound spike into the floor as Serbia-Montenegro clocked their 20th point of the set and Uriarte called a TO as last-gasp attempt to change things around.
Meanwhile, Argentina¡Çs libero Pablo Meana showed he still cared by chasing a rebound and diving over a courtside desk, leaving sitting officials a little flustered, but it still looked like Serbia-Montenegro¡Çs set.
And then things changed.
Vladimir Grbic brought up match point with a spike as he fell backwards but then saw his team miss two chances to close out the match as Argentina drew level at 24-24.
Argentina saw the chance and took it. Set point came courtesy of a spike from Milinkovic that clipped Miljkovic¡Çs fingers and the same Serbia-Montenegro player¡Çs long spike gave the set to Argentina.
For the second day running, Serbia-Montenegro had lost their concentration and the third set. They were stung into action and promptly took a three-point lead into the fourth set and increased that advantage to 13-7.
Uriarte brought in his troops for a time out to see if he could work his magic again.
He couldn¡Çt. Slobodan Boskan hit into space to make it 14-7, Miljkovic did the same for 15-7 and Boskan again for the second TTO at 16-7, and Argentina couldn¡Çt get a look in.
A block from Geric quickly brought match point and the same man tipped into space to close out the match.
