Preslav Petkov started his participation in the German Volleyball Bundesliga with a victory. The Bulgarian middle blocker scored 3 points in Düren's 3:0 (25:9, 25:15, 25:21) away win against Rottenburg on October 20 in the match that opened the championship for the 2026/2027 season.
Petkov remained a substitute in the first two sets, and in the third, he started as a starter in place of Daniel Wetter. He converted two of his five attacks for a 40% success rate and added one block. He made two errors in attack and one of his two serves, with no aces.
The match had a special significance for the visiting coach, Christophe Achten. Rottenburg was his first stop in Germany during the 2019/2020 season, and now the Belgian returned as an opponent on the night when the hosts once again played in the elite after a six-year absence.
Before the match, Achten warned about the euphoria surrounding Rottenburg's return but made it clear that sentiments would not mean gifts. His team confirmed this on the court, giving the hosts a total of 24 points in the first two sets.
The success came after a difficult weekend for Düren in the League Cup tournament. The team finished seventh after losses to Lüneburg and Ludwigsburg and a win over Netzhoppers, playing three matches on three consecutive days.
An additional concern before the away game was the hand injury of libero Troy Gooch, sustained in a collision on the court. Against Rottenburg, Mykhailo Kosiak played in this position and was awarded as the most valuable player.
Robin Baghdady was the top scorer for Düren with 11 points, followed by Andres Jefanov with 9 and Omar Hoyos with 8.
