The Bulgarian men's national volleyball team concluded its preparation for the Nations League with a victory. Gianlorenzo Blengini's team defeated Argentina 3:1 (25:18, 19:25, 25:19, 25:21) in a friendly match played in front of nearly 6,000 people in Rosario.

The coach started with the lineup: Zhasmin Velichkov, Martin Atanasov, Aleksandar Nikolov, Simeon Nikolov, Iliya Petkov, Alex Grozdanov, and libero Damian Kolev. Asparuh Asparuhov, Preslav Petkov, and Venislav Antov also came into play, while Denislav Bardarov entered for a serve.
Bulgaria started strong and completely controlled the first set. The nationals built a six-point lead at 17:11, and an ace by Aleksandar Nikolov made the score 21:15. Captain Alex Grozdanov brought the first set point, after which he himself closed the part with a skillful two-handed drop for 25:18.
Argentina responded in the second set. The hosts took a 12:6 lead, but the Bulgarian team managed to close the gap to just one point at 17:16 after a block by Simeon Nikolov. A counter-attack by the setter went out, and until the end, the Argentinians did not allow a comeback and equalized after an ace in Damian Kolev's zone – 25:19.
The third set began with an ace by Simeon Nikolov, and a block by Iliya Petkov gave Bulgaria a 5:2 lead. Argentina equalized at 6:6 after an attack out by Aleksandar Nikolov, after which the game went point for point until 12:12. Two consecutive breaks by the Nikolov brothers followed, and another successful run gave a 15:12 lead. The hosts closed the gap, but a block by Zhasmin Velichkov and an ace by Asparuh Asparuhov maintained the distance. A misunderstanding in Argentina's defense after a block by Aleksandar Nikolov brought the first set point, and the set ended after an attack out by the hosts – 25:19 and 2:1 sets for Bulgaria.
In the fourth set, Bulgaria started confidently again. After a block, our team led 4:1, and an attack by Aleksandar Nikolov and a block by Alex Grozdanov made the score 6:2. An ace by Simeon Nikolov increased the lead to 13:7. Argentina managed to reduce it to 14:12, but Aleksandar Nikolov scored an important break, and later his brother Simeon distinguished himself with a block for 18:14.
Venislav Antov came into play at 19:16 for Bulgaria and proved to be a crucial figure at the end. Aleksandar Nikolov made it 23:20, and Denislav Bardarov, who came in for a serve, sent his serve into the net for 23:21. Antov scored for 24:21 and the first match point, after which he delivered an ace for the final 25:21 and a 3:1 victory for Bulgaria.

Aleksandar Nikolov was the top scorer with 20 points. The outside hitter was named MVP of the match.

The success is a valuable conclusion to the preparation before the start of the Nations League and gives a positive impetus to Gianlorenzo Blengini's team before the official matches. The team is heading to the city of Brazilia, where the first tournament of the VNL will take place. The first opponent on June 10 will be Belgium. Our team will also face Iran, Argentina, and Serbia.

photo: FeVa