Bulgaria fought, but could not avoid defeat against Turkey with 1:3 (12:25, 9:25, 25:22, 18:25) in its last match of the first tournament in the Volleyball Nations League, which took place in Brazil. The match went through two fundamentally different scenarios a difficult start for the Bulgarian team and a strong reaction afterwards, which, however, was not enough for a comeback against the world vice-champions and European champions.
In the first two sets, the Turkish team imposed complete superiority in all elements of the game. Bulgarian volleyball players experienced serious difficulties in reception and attack, and the opponent mercilessly exploited every mistake. The second set proved particularly painful, lost 9:25 the heaviest for the national team since the beginning of this year's competition.
After the break, however, Marcelo Abbondanza's team showed a completely different face. The Bulgarian women stabilized their play, reduced errors, and began to put serious pressure on their opponent. This paid off in the third set, when the national team took the lead in key moments and deservedly reduced their deficit after 25:22.
In the fourth set, Bulgaria even seemed capable of pushing the match to a tie-break. Our girls had an advantage several times and controlled the development of the game, but a series of inaccuracies in attack allowed Turkey to turn the score around. Daniele Santarelli's experienced team did not miss their chance, took the initiative in the decisive rallies, and closed the match without allowing a surprising comeback.
Thus, the Bulgarian "lionesses" conclude the first week of the Nations League with one win, three losses, and three points. Despite the tough start against Turkey, the national team showed character and managed to get back into the match after two very weak sets, which is a positive sign before the next tournaments of the competition. Bulgaria lost a minimal number of points for the world ranking (-0.01) and currently occupies 20th place in the standings.

photo:volleyballworld.com