Ivan Miljkovic smashes Serbia and Montenegro into the semis
Japan
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Serbia & Montenegro
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3
Sendai, Japan, November 28, 2006: Serbia and Montenegro (SCG) joined Poland from Pool E in the World Championship semi-finals by crushing Japan in straight sets at Sendai City Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
The fourth-ranked SCG beat world No. 10 Japan 28-26, 25-16, 25-21 to improve their win-loss record to 6-0 and drop Japan to 4-2 with one round of matches remaining in the second round.
Japan made a slow start and needed a TO trailing 5-1, by which time Ivan Miljkovic had already showed his class on the right wing and Vladimir Grbic had scored two consecutive points in a ruthlessly efficient manner.
Down 6-2, Japan changed their setter, Yuta Abe for Kosuke Tomonaga, in a bid to spark their attack, but the visitors were dominant at the net through Andrija Geric and Marko Podrascanin.
A block by Yusuke Ishijima on Goran Vujevic fired up Japan and a swipe from southpaw Takahiro Yamamoto on the right closed the gap to two at 12-10. With Vladimir Grbic in solid form on the left, SCG pulled away to 16-12 at the second TTO.
Again Japan came back, with captain Masaji Ogino blocking Miljkovic and Yamamoto doing the same to Vujevic when they went head-to-head at the centre of the net. When Yamamoto struck again from the right, Japan were level 18-18.
As the pressure grew, the jump serves of both teams became wild and easy points were traded, until a block by Abe on Vladimir Grbic pushed Japan ahead 22-21 and forced a SCG TO.
A breakdown in communication in the SCG ranks presented Japan with a third set point at 26-25, but Vladimir Grbic saved this one, too.
On SCG's first set point at 27-26, Yamamoto spiked wide across court and the Europeans had the opening set, 28-26. Japan had missed three opportunities to put the set away, but SCG had taken their first...and last.
Thanks to excellent blocking, SCG won the first three points of the second set, forcing a second setter switch, before Kota Yamamura found a way through to out Japan on the board.
Ishijima's spiking, serving and reception was a constant source of inspiration to his teammates, but the experience and quality of Vujevic and Miljkovic kept SCG in front, 8-5 at the first TTO. When that lead grew to 10-6, Japan took a TO.
On the resumption, Ogino was blocked by Podrascanin and was promptly replaced by Shinya Chiba. SCG's blocking and attacks were much better coordinated than Japan's, and the second set was rapidly disappearing at 16-9 at the second TTO.
Brilliant defence by libero Marko Samardzic was followed by a smooth and powerful winner into the far corner from Miljkovic, extending their lead to 18-9 and forcing a second Japan TO.
Down 19-12, Japan replaced Yamamoto with fellow southpaw Ryuji Naohiro, who was greeted by a razor-sharp left-handed winner from setter Nikola Grbic. Japan were looking slow in defence and could not find the right rhythm to bring Yu Koshikawa into action on the left, having taken over from Ishijima earlier in the set.
A long serve from Saito confirmed the inevitable as SCG took the second set at a canter, 25-16.
Japan looked much more determined in the third set, especially when Abe blocked Vladimir Grbic, but the Europeans quickly reasserted their authority to lead 6-4 and send Japan into a TO. Miljkovic was using his full array of spikes to keep the scoreboard moving, and Geric held things together in the middle.
Japan probed for weaknesses and managed to keep in the hunt, but provided SCG retained their concentration and discipline, the third set was likely to be the last.
Podrascanin blocked, Chiba spiked wide, Nikola Grbic blocked...at 11-7, Japan needed a second TO of the third set, and Yamamoto came back for Chiba in one last throw of the dice by coach Tatsuya Ueta to get Japan moving.
Abe and Saito hurled themselves into the line of fire to keep the ball alive, but Miljkovic was always waiting for the next attempt and spiked majestically to pierce Japan's defence.
A gentle serve from Miljkovic earned another point, 18-14, and Geric capitalised on a wonderful dig by Vladimir Grbic from an Ishijima blockbuster serve to bring victory closer. A Geric serve whistled past Ishijima's nose for 23-16, only for SCG to become careless in attack and lose the next four points. Miljkovic brought up match point at 24-20 with a crashing winner on the right, and Podrascanin ended it at the net 25-21.
