Bulgarian international Kalina Veneva and her team Brescia recorded their first victory of the season in the Italian Serie A1. The elite newcomer triumphed as a guest over Il Bisonte (Florence) with a 3:2 (23:25, 25:20, 21:25, 25:22, 15:10) win in a match from the fourth round of the championship.
The 17-year-old Bulgarian outside hitter started as a starter and finished with 6 points, including one ace. Veneva was among the key players at the beginning of the match, helping Brescia take a 4:1 lead in the first set. In the fourth set, she gave way to the Serbian player Novosel, who remained on the court until the end and contributed to the comeback.
After three consecutive defeats against Talmassons, Chieri, and Vallefoglia, Matteo Solforati's team finally achieved success. Moreover, Brescia had to twice catch up with their opponent in the sets before imposing their will in the tie-break.
A major contributor to the victory was the Croatian opposite Andrea Mihajlevich, who scored 25 points with 43% attack efficiency and was chosen as the most valuable player. Rachele Nardelli added 15 points, and Aleksandra Novosel finished with 8.
Interestingly, the hosts had a significant advantage in blocks – 15 points against only 6, but they made a total of 21 service errors compared to 11 for Brescia. The guests compensated with a more effective attack – 69 against 58 successful attacks.
For Veneva, the success is an important moment in her first season at the highest club level. The U19 world champion is already getting playing time in one of the strongest championships, where the competition for every spot in the squad is extremely serious.
The first victory comes just before the Bulgarian derby with Mika Stoyanova.
On Sunday, October 25, Brescia hosts Macerata, where our other national player Mika Stoyanova plays. The fifth-round match is at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time in the "Jimmy George" hall in Montichiari.
Macerata still has no victory in the championship, but Stoyanova has already demonstrated her serious potential. In the 1:3 (14:25, 25:21, 24:26, 23:25) defeat against Scandicci, the Bulgarian opposite scored 25 points and shared first place among the top scorers with Canadian international Kiera Van Ryk.
Thus, the upcoming match will pit two of the young hopes of Bulgarian women's volleyball against each other, as they try to establish themselves in the Italian elite. For Brescia, the goal will be to continue their ascent after the first success, while Macerata will be chasing their first points of the season.

photo:legavolleyfemminile.it