Nik Mujanović led Slovenia as they cruised past Chile, 25-19, 25-20, 25-16, in their opening match of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Saturday.
The sixth-ranked team in the world showed why they are considered one of Europe’s rising forces, taking control from the start and never letting the Chileans mount a serious challenge.
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Slovenia’s dominance was anchored by the scoring duo of Tonček Štern and Mujanović, who notched 15 and 12 points, respectively. Middle blocker Jan Kozamernik also contributed a double-double with 11 points, including seven kills and four blocks.
“Playing as an outside hitter is well outside my comfort zone, but if I’m able to help my team, I’m happy to do so,” said Mujanović.
“It was a very good start for us, and we hope we can try to build some momentum. But we can’t get too comfortable because in this tournament, one mistake can be enough to take you down.”
Chile fought hard in patches, with Vicente Parraguirre scoring all 12 of his points on offense. Noé Aravena added 11, including seven kills and three blocks.
Still, the South Americans struggled to match Slovenia’s experience and consistency.
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“We’re really excited to be here,” Parraguirre said. “We gave Slovenia a good battle in the first two sets, but they were better at the end. In the third set, we started down 6-1, and at this level, it’s really hard to come back, especially against a team like Slovenia.”
The win puts Slovenia level with Bulgaria, who stunned Germany, 40-38, 25-22, 25-20, earlier in the day, atop Pool E with three points each.
#WATCH: Slovenia’s 20-year-old sensation Nik Mujanovic opens up about his transition to outside spiker for the #MWCH2025, embracing his new role 🏐🇸🇮
📹 @justinvalencia_ /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/0rYckC5pJA
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 13, 2025
