Three of the teams that the Bulgarian women's national team will face in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League – Germany, France, and Ukraine – played their final warm-up matches before the start of the tournament in the friendly "Four Nations Cup".
The competition also gathered the Netherlands national team, and it was the "Tulips" who won first place after three wins from three matches. The Germans remained second, Ukraine finished third, and France concluded without success.
Final Standings
| Place | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Netherlands | 9 |
| 2. | Germany | 6 |
| 3. | Ukraine | 3 |
| 4. | France | 0 |
The Netherlands, whose staff includes former Maritsa coach Ahmetcan Erşimşek, showed the most consistent play during the tournament and deservedly reached the trophy without losing a match. Germany also demonstrated stability, only losing in the direct contest for first place. Ukraine managed to conclude its participation with a victory, while France failed to find the right rhythm in any of its matches.
Tournament Results
Germany – Ukraine 3:0
Netherlands – France 3:0
Netherlands – Ukraine 3:1
Germany – France 3:1
Ukraine – France 3:1(25:19, 26:24, 18:25, 25:21)
Netherlands – Germany 3:1
Of particular interest to Bulgaria is the performance of Ukraine and France, who will be among the direct competitors of the "Lionesses" in the VNL. The Ukrainians started the tournament with two defeats, but in their last match, they showed significant improvement and defeated the French with 3:1 (25:19, 26:24, 18:25, 25:21).
Germany, for its part, confirmed the impression that it is entering the Nations League in good form, while the Netherlands made a strong claim for a powerful performance this summer. France, on the other hand, will be looking for a quick reaction after three consecutive losses in its final warm-up before the official matches.
