After several years of competitions "all around the world" there was an opportunity to play an important and strong championship match in front of our own crowd, to be played in a hall where we held our trainings.
Our crew was complete, and even the match beginning was set on time of our regular training. In brief, the conditions were were all set for the spectacle (if it can be called so) and confront the big and respectable opponent from Banja Luka. So, it was a rare opportunity to show our friends and fellow citizens the achievements of our work.
I'd like to remind the readers of the previous duels vs teams that are the subject of the news. With the "Borac" team we have met twice, in both cases in the year of 2010. It occured in Kikinda and in Bijeljina, when "the big fish escaped in the last moment from the hook". To be true, Banja Luka has a long tradition, many valuable success in this sport, and they have even three teams: "Banja Luka" (Super League), "Borac" (The 1st League) and "Krajišnik" (The 1st League).
Match started quite tight and equal, and there were no differences until the end. We had a lead few times by a couple points during the first set, and Banja Luka followed and forwarded to their lead. A couple of good points in the end of first set ruled it in our favor.
In the second set we were chasing the opponent's advantage, but we were unable to fully turn set to our own advantage.
The third set again brought us good, consolidated play, with advantages on both technical time-outs. After the second technical time-out two opponent servers played a key role. They both made some 4-5 points after our poor receiving and so we easily lost the advantage and in this set, as well. Even at that point we knew we that we can play against this opponent, to compete with them, as we have previously demonstrated.
Now we should start from the beginning, actualy with one set in minus. We dispeled anxiety, Mourinho has brought a small tactical changes, the will for the fight has remained at the same level. Yet we repeatedly dropped some leads earned during the set, but we did not allow them to make the surprise and gained a crucial advantage after the second technical time-out, so the result was 2:2.
Our crowd felt that it was a great moment and gave us louder support and "the wind at our backs" through the fourth and especially through the fifth, deciding set. "Feniks" took the initial lead, "Borac" reversed again by a mini-series in the first half of the set. The uncertainty has come to the top. Lucky us, that was all they managed. After the result of 11:10 for us the series of our points completed the game. It was 3:2 for the OKI "Feniks" and the first win over the IOK "Borac" from Banja Luka by now.
OKI "Feniks" : IOK "Borac" 3:2 (23, -19, -20, 19, 10)
We are especially pleased that we played a high-quality, uncertain and difficult mach in front of the home crowd and that it ended up in the best possible way. A brief announcement about the game in the local media was enough to transform the theater atmosphere into a very nice sports show with a happy ending. A big thanks to everyone who was with us there!
1. OKI "Derventa" 3 3 0 9:1 242:132 9 2. OKI "Maglić" 3 2 1 6:3 249:258 5 3. IOK "Borac" 3 1 2 7:6 277:266 5 4. OKI "Feniks" 3 2 1 7:5 262:194 5 5. OKI "Prijedor" 1 1 0 3:2 117:108 2 6. KSO "Krajišnik" 5 0 5 3:15 246:285 1
In this part of the Championship of the Republic of Srpska are remaining two games against teams of "Prijedor" and "Maglić," and these we will play on November 18th in Prijedor. After that we will announce the table of autumn part of this competition.
Đuričin, Brandić, Golijanin, Marić, Milošev, Anđelovl, Herceg and Zavišin.
Coach: Branislav Dragin
