Argentina began its preparation for the Volleyball Nations League with a convincing victory. The 'Gauchos' defeated Venezuela 3:0 (25:19, 25:18, 25:19) in the first friendly match between the two teams, played in Misiones.
Jan Martinez was named the most valuable player of the match, and the hosts' coach utilized significant player rotation during the game.
Argentina started with the lineup: Luciano De Cecco, German Gomez, Nicolas Zerba, Joaquin Gallego, Luciano Vicentin, Jan Martinez, and libero Franco Massimino. Matias Giraudo, Pablo Denis, Manuel Armoa, and Faustino Diaz also came in from the bench.
The two teams will play two more friendly matches against each other – on May 28 in Misiones and on June 2 in Buenos Aires, before Argentina measures strength against Bulgaria.
The 'Gauchos'' final test before the start of the VNL will be precisely against the Bulgarian national team on June 6 in Rosario. The friendly match will provide a clear picture of the condition of both squads immediately before the beginning of the tournament.
Just a week later, Bulgaria and Argentina will face each other again, this time in an official match of the Volleyball Nations League. The game is on June 13 in the Brazilian city of Brasília and is shaping up to be one of the key clashes in the first week of the competition.
The match directly pits the 8th and 9th teams in the world ranking – Argentina and Bulgaria – against each other. Besides its immense significance for the battle for a spot in the VNL Final Eight, the match is also important in the fight for valuable world ranking points. Victories against higher-ranked opponents can bring Bulgaria closer to its big goal – participation in the Olympic Games. Every success against a team of Argentina's caliber brings significant points for the FIVB ranking, which in recent years has become one of the main paths to Olympic quotas.

photo:https://feva.org.ar