Serbia won its second Women’s Volleyball World Cup on Saturday by beating Brazil by three sets to nil (26-24, 25-22, 25-17) in the final played in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.
Still without a World Cup in their showcases, the Brazilians, who had beaten Italy in the semifinals by three sets to one, succumbed to the Serbians, undefeated in the tournament and superior both in attack (49 to 32) and in blocks (9 to 5).
With 23 points, the Serbian captain Tijana Boskovic, MVP during the 2018 edition, was the best scorer of the match.
He had already scored 33 points in the semifinals against the United States and 36 against Poland in the last group stage match.
In the match for the bronze medal, also played on Saturday in the same Dutch city, it was the Italians who beat the United States by three sets to nil (25-20 25-15 27-25).
With 25 points, Paola Egonu was once again the leader of the current European champions.
After world gold in 2002 and silver in 2018, Italian players now have all three metals in world competitions.
At the end of the match, Egonu appeared tired, telling her agent, who was present on the edge of the pitch, that this was her "last match with the national team" and alluding to his tiredness, according to the video broadcast in the Italian media.
Later, before the media, the 23-year-old player has lowered her statements, explaining that she rather needed a break: "I am proud of the team and myself. It is always an honor to wear the azzurro jersey, but I would like to have a summer off to rest, as a person, for my head"he told Sky Sports.