Budućnost women stage memorable comeback to win first Montenegrin Cup title in history

This past weekend, Budućnost’s women’s volleyball team won the Montenegro Cup for the first time in the club’s history. They did so in a spectacular final at the Verde hall - a match that had everything a trophy game should offer: quality, drama, a fantastic atmosphere and impressive choreography in the stands. The Podgorica side celebrated a comeback to remember, winning 3-2 after trailing 0-2 in sets and even saving a match point in the deciding fifth set. After two and a half hours of a true Volleyball thriller, Luka Bogojević’s team triumphed 22-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-18, 17-15.

It was a phenomenal achievement for Budućnost’s young players, further highlighted by the fact that as many as four of them had represented Montenegro at the U18 European Championship last summer. Youth versus experience – with strong playing assets on both sides – was the main pre-match storyline. In the end, in a contest decided by the narrowest of margins, the youthful Podgorica squad prevailed.

Budućnost thus became the fifth team in independent Montenegro to win the Cup. Luka Bar have lifted the trophy seven times (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017), Galeb also have seven titles (2010, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022), Herceg Novi have won three in a row (2023, 2024, and 2025), while Rudar claimed the Cup twice (2008 and 2009). Budućnost have now joined this distinguished group, at the same time preventing Herceg Novi from winning a fourth consecutive trophy.

Carried by the energy from the stands, the young Podgorica players opened the final brilliantly, taking an 11-4 lead in the first set and controlling the game until the closing stages. However, Tatjana Bokan and her teammates gradually erased the deficit winning three consecutive points to level at 19-19, before moving ahead 24-22 and converting their first set point.

Losing the opening set in such fashion seemed to demoralise Bogojević’s side, who offered little resistance in the second set against the inspired Herceg Novi team. American opposite Brooke Dexter and Brazilian setter Ana Tiemi Takagui raised the level of their play significantly, and there was little doubt about the outcome as their team cruised to a 25-16 win.

Bogojević tried to disrupt his opponents’ rhythm with substitutions. It did not work in the second set - but it proved decisive in the third, fourth and fifth. Budućnost appeared to “reset”, playing with greater focus, patience and energy. Alongside standout performer Dijana Crnojački, the youngest players - especially Elena Jovanović and Nađa Peković - made the difference. In a tight third set, the Podgorica team pulled away in the closing stages, a decisive gap that secured the set 25-21.

Outstanding defensive play became Budućnost’s trademark at that stage of the match. Herceg Novi struggled to find solutions, while Budućnost dictated the tempo from the start of the fourth set, steadily increasing their advantage on the way to a 25-18 win and forcing a dramatic fifth set - just like in both national league meetings between the two teams this season.

The deciding set was intensely dramatic. After Herceg Novi’s early 2-0 lead, neither side managed to build a two-point advantage until the very end, when Dijana Crnojački spiked for 17-15, sparking huge celebrations on the court and in the stands.
Before that, the teams had exchanged match points - Budućnost had the first, but Dexter produced a brilliant spike to save it. Herceg Novi then had their chance, only for Nađa Peković to keep her team alive with a crucial block that ultimately provided the final momentum. 

Crnojački was the top scorer of the match for the winners with 23 points. She was supported by Dušanka Petrović with 15, Elena Jovanović with 12 and Lana Rakočević with eight. For Herceg Novi, Tatjana Bokan scored 19 points, Brooke Dexter added 18, Gordana Madžgalj 17 and Aleksandra Gligorić 11.