Lausanne, Switzerland, June 7, 2018 - The Netherlands host Serbia Thursday in Rotterdam in a decisive match as the race for a ticket to the finals of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League gets tighter and tighter. Reigning European champions Serbia already have a foot through the door of the finals, but The Netherlands dsperately need a win after going down to Italy on Wednseday. This is a rematch of the 2017 European Championship final, which Italy won in four sets.
Head-to-Head
• At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, The Netherlands beat Serbia (including Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro) for the first time at major world level (3-2).
• The women's world level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World Grand Prix and Grand Champions Cup.
• Serbia won the first three major world level encounters with The Netherlands: 3-1 at the 1978 World Championships (as Yugoslavia), 3-0 at the 2013 World Grand Prix and 3-0 at the 2014 World Championships.
• The Netherlands versus Serbia is a repeat of the final at the 2017 European Championships. The Serbians won 3-1 to claim their second title in the tournament.
• In total, The Netherlands and Serbia (including predecessors) have met 10 times at the European Championships, with the Serbians leading the head-to-head with six wins to four.
Netherlands
• The Netherlands have won eight of their 11 VNL matches, with the three defeats against United States (3-0), Brazil (3-1) and Italy (3-2).
• The Netherlands could win more than eight matches in a single world level major tournament for the fourth time, after the World Grand Prix of 2007 (11), 2009 (10) and 2014 (9).
• Each of The Netherlands' last four VNL wins have come in straight sets, while all seven of their world level major tournament victories on home court have come in straight sets.
• The Netherlands' 3-2 defeat against Italy on Wednesday ended a run of 11 consecutive victories in world level major tournament matches versus European opposition.
• Lonneke Sloetjes has been The Netherlands' leading points scorer in both VNL matches in week four - 18 against the Dominican Republic and 25 versus Italy.
Serbia
• Serbia have won nine of their 11 VNL matches, with the only defeats against Brazil (3-1, fixture three) and Italy (3-2, fixture 10).
• Serbia (including predecessors) could equal the team record for most wins in a single world level major tournament - 10 in the World Grands Prix of 2011, 2013 and 2017, and in the 2015 World Cup.
• Serbia could lose consecutive world level major tournament matches against European opposition for the first time since the 2014 World Grand Prix (versus Germany and Turkey).
• Serbia have won 11 of their last 15 world level major tournament matches that have gone to a deciding set.
• Tijana Boskovic (199) is one short of becoming the first Serbian to reach 200 VNL points.