Slovenia secured its spot in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship after a hard-fought 25-21, 17-25, 31-29, 25-22 victory over Germany late Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The world No. 6 Slovenians leaned on the Štern brothers, Tonček and Žiga, to emerge from Pool E and advance to the knockout stages, where they will face undefeated USA, the top team from Pool D.
“It was a very tough match against Germany. I’m happy we managed to win in the end. Our game was like a rollercoaster—we started strong, struggled in the second set, but bounced back in the third and fourth,” said Žiga Štern, who finished with 16 points on 13 spikes, two aces, and a block.
The world No. 10 Germans, appearing deflated after losing the marathon third set, rallied from a 9-15 deficit in the fourth thanks to Filip John, Tobias Brand, and Erik Röhrs, leveling the score at 21.
However, 20-year-old Nik Mujanovic, Žiga Štern, and Jan Kozamermik sealed the win for Slovenia after two hours and five minutes of intense play, witnessed by a lively crowd despite the late hour.
Tonček Štern led Slovenia with 18 points, while Mujanovic continued his impressive performance in the absence of injured captain Tine Urnaut, sidelined with neck issues from a pre-tournament collision. Kozamermik added 10 points, half of which came from blocks.
“We know each other well, and there haven’t been many changes since the VNL competition. The key will be to play our best game on the day, and I hope that with a strong performance, we can surpass them,” Žiga Štern said about their upcoming Round of 16 clash against the USA on Monday, Sept. 22.
For Germany, Röhrs led the way with 22 points, Brand added 14, and middle blockers Anton Brehme and Tobias Krick contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the team bowed out with a 1-2 record.
“The guys played really well, so it’s tough to leave the tournament. But we need to learn from this new group, grow, and reach the level we had before. We take lessons from this tournament, and we still have a few years before the Olympics,” said 40-year-old captain György Grozer, who plans to continue his playing career.
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