Croatia W vs Montenegro W

Montenegro, appearing at their first-ever European Championship, stunned Croatia by taking the opening set 25–21 behind an explosive performance from opposite hitter Nikoleta Perović. She landed eight spikes in the first set alone as Montenegro's block consistently shut down Croatia's middle attack.

Croatia levelled in the second set 25–20, with Božana Butigan anchoring the net defence. But Montenegro regained the lead 25–22 in the third, Perović continuing her rampage — she finished with a match-high 28 points (23 spikes, 3 blocks, 2 aces).

Trailing 1–2, Croatia flipped a switch. They stormed through the fourth set 25–14, committing almost no unforced errors while hammering 15 kills. Butigan collected four blocks in the set alone. The decider was similarly one-sided: Croatia raced to an 8–3 switch and closed 15–8.

The fourth set was the match's hinge. Croatia had been competitive but leaky through three sets; in the fourth, they conceded just 14 points — their lowest single-set tally allowed all match. Butigan and middle blocker Ema Strunjak (4 blocks) formed an impenetrable wall, while Mika Grbavica's serving run stretched a 10–6 lead to 18–9. Montenegro never recovered.

• Božana Butigan (Croatia) — A game-high 7 blocks to go with 11 spike kills and 2 aces for 20 points. She was the decisive defensive presence, especially in the fourth and fifth sets.

• Nikoleta Perović (Montenegro) — The clear Player of the Match candidate despite being on the losing side. Her 28 points (56 spike attempts, 23 kills) were far and away the highest of any player on court.

• Mika Grbavica (Croatia) — Delivered 18 points (14 spikes, 3 aces) and her serving in set four broke Montenegro's resistance.

• Samanta Fabris (Croatia) — The veteran contributed 16 points (14 spikes, 2 blocks), providing steady offensive output throughout the five-set battle.

Montenegro's Perović attempted 56 spikes — more than any two Croatian players combined — underlining how heavily Montenegro leaned on their star opposite. Croatia's scoring was far more distributed: six players reached at least 9 points. At the net, Croatia's 16 total blocks (led by Butigan's 7) dwarfed Montenegro's 10, a gap that widened dramatically after the third set. Croatia also served 9 aces to Montenegro's 8, with Grbavica's 3 aces the best individual haul.

Croatia bank two points from their opening Pool D fixture and build momentum ahead of tougher tests against Italy, France and hosts Sweden. For Montenegro, the debut ended in defeat but Perović's individual performance signals they can compete in stretches. Coach Jovo Caković said before the tournament that Montenegro could not "burden ourselves with results" and wanted to "show that Volleyball is also played in Montenegro" — the competitive first three sets achieved that.

Croatia next face Italy on 28 August, while Montenegro take on Sweden on the same day.

This was a match of two phases: three sets of competitive, nervy volleyball followed by a Croatian clinic in sets four and five. Montenegro's inexperience showed in their inability to adjust when Butigan and Strunjak tightened the middle. Croatia's depth — six multi-point scorers against Montenegro's reliance on one — proved the decisive structural advantage.