Lausanne, Switzerland, May 29, 2018 - Serbia host Belgium Wednseday in Kraljevo, needing a win to keep them in the leading group of teams at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. The Balkan side have beaten Belgium in all three previous encounters at world competitions, with Belgium registering their only win in the bronze medal match of the 2013 European Championship.
Head-to-Head
• Belgium have lost their three matches against Serbia (including Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro) at major world level tournaments.
• The women's world level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World Grand Prix and Grand Champions Cup.
• The most recent encounters were at the World Grand Prix in 2016 (3-2) and 2017 (3-0).
• These teams also faced each other at the 2017 European Championships, with Serbia winning 3-1 en route to winning the trophy.
• Belgium's only win against Serbia at the European Championships was in the bronze medal match in 2013, 3-2.
Belgium
• Belgium won two of their first three matches in the 2018 VNL, but lost four in a row since, including the last three in straight sets.
• Belgium could lose at least five matches in a row in their fourth consecutive world level major competition. They had a seven-match losing streak at the 2015 World Grand Prix, a six-match losing streak at the 2016 World Grand Prix and a nine-match losing streak at the 2017 World Grand Prix.
• Belgium could lose four matches in a row in straight sets. The last time this occurred to them in a world level major competition was during the 1978 world championship. This streak included a match against Yugoslavia.
• Marlies Janssens (11 points) and Kaja Grobelna (10) reached double figures in scoring against Turkey on Tuesday (3-0 defeat).
Serbia
• Serbia have won six matches and lost one in the 2018 VNL. Their only defeat was a 3-1 against Brazil on 17 May.
• Serbia have won four straight world level major competition matches. They could make it five for the first time since the last four matches of the 2016 World Grand Prix followed by the first two at the 2016 Olympic Games (6 total). This streak started with a five-set win over Belgium.
• Serbia have now won four of their seven world level major competition matches on home soil. Their last three wins in front of a home crowd came in straight sets.
• Tijana Boskovic scored a third of her team's points against Russia on Tuesday (25 of 75) in a 3-0 victory.