OK HERCEG NOVI and OK BUDVA retain Montenegrin Cup titles

by Press
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OK HERCEG NOVI comfortably defeated Luka BAR 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-19) in the final of the women’s Montenegrin Cup contested at the Nikoljac Sports Centre in Bijelo Polje. This way, the reigning champions retained their title from last year, thereby securing the Montenegrin Cup for the second time in the club’s history. Luka BAR finished as runners-up for the eighth time in the history of the most prestigious domestic competition in the Balkan country.

OK HERCEG NOVI captain Ralitsa Vasileva, with 16 points, and Dijana Vuković, with 13, set the pace for the Cup winners. Oksana Iakushina contributed with ten points. For Luka BAR, Kristina Božović scored 10 points, captain Dušanka Petrović seven times, and middle blocker Aieska Vicente Ferreira contributed six points.

In the men’s competition, in a very exciting match, played in front of more than a thousand spectators, OK BUDVA defeated Jedinstvo BIJELO POLJE 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-22) at the very same venue. This victory marks their sixth consecutive triumph in the Cup final. It was the fifth time Bijelo Polje hosted the final match in the men’s competition. The finals were organised very professionally. However, Jedinstvo could not capitalise on the home advantage, and they remain with two trophies to their name, which they won in 2017 and 2018.

The respective team captains were the top scorers in the thrilling final match. Balša Radunović secured 15 points for Budva, supported by nine points from Aleksandar Minić and Matija Ćinćur, and eight points scored by Benjamin Hadžisalihović. On the other side, Milan Rovčanin, alongside Miloš Zečević, was the most effective with 10 points apiece, while Nikola Đurović and Vladan Stojanović contributed with seven points each.

Dijana Vuković and Benjamin Hadžisalihović were named the EPCG MVPs of the Montenegrin Cup final, in the memorable atmosphere of the Nikoljac Sports Centre, where awards, medals, and trophies were presented to the best performers.

The trophy designated for the winner of the 2024 Montenegrin Cup in the men’s competition was presented to the Budva team by the President of the Montenegrin Volleyball Federation, Cvetko Pajković. OK HERCEG NOVI received their trophy from Marko Maslovarić, the director of the Public Institution Centre for Sports and Recreation in Bijelo Polje.

The medals for the winners of the Cup were presented by the President of the Municipality Assembly of Bijelo Polje, Ernad Suljević, and the President of OK Jedinstvo, Vukman Obradović. Medals for the Budva volleyball team and their coaching staff were handed out by the director of OK Budva, Radenko Marović, and the State Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Vladimir Obradović. MVPs Dijana Vuković and Benjamin Hadžisalihović received their awards from the head of the regional centre in Bijelo Polje, Branislav Pajković.

The silver medals for the Cup finalists, both players and coaching staff of Luka BAR, were presented by the General Secretary of the Montenegrin Volleyball Federation (OSCG), Ivan Bošković, and the director of OK Jedinstvo, Slobodan Šebek. Meanwhile, the silver medals for the players and coaching staff of Jedinstvo were handed out by OSCG Board Member Nikola Kažić and OK Jedinstvo Board Member Musko Ljuca. Plaques were awarded to the captains of Luka BAR, Dušanka Petrović, and Jedinstvo, Milan Rovčanin by Mr Bošković and Mr Kažić.

The referees of the Montenegrin Cup final matches – Sonja Simonovska, Jelena Mitrović, Slobodan Kovačević, and Dragana Vučinić – as well as the OSCG supervisor for the final matches, Miloš Jovanović, received recognition from the OSCG competition commissioner, Nikola Pješčić.

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