Bulgarian women's volleyball champion Maritsa (Plovdiv) lost to Polish DevelopRes (Rzeszów) by0:3 (18:25, 20:25, 21:25) setstheir first match of the new year in Kolodruma Hall. The match was the fifth for Maritsa in the group stage of the Champions League. The Polish team played with their big star Agnieszka Korneluk. Alexandra Kitipova made her Champions League debut with Maritsa.
Maritsa started the match excellently and took an 8:5 lead, reaching 12:9 for Ahmetdjan Erşimşek's girls. The Polish team managed to equalize at 15:15 and take a 19:16 lead, and after a successful attack by Marit Jasper, the guests won the first set 25:18.
In the second part, the Bulgarian champions led 7:5, but the Polish team turned it around – 11:9, reaching 19:16, and the set ended 25:20.
In the third set, the Polish team led 4:2, but Maritsa equalized – 7:7, reaching 15:15, but after the 15th point, the guests made a difference – 20:17, and the match ended 25:21.
For Maritsa, Iva Dudova was the most productive with 13 points, Vanessa Agbortabi added 8, and Borislava Săykova added 7.
Monika Fedusio from DevelopRes was named the best player of the match, becoming the top scorer for the visitors with 17 points.

Thus, DevelopRes secured second place in the group and continues to the eliminations, while Maritsa will fight for third position in a direct battle against Croatian Mladost (Zagreb). The winner will qualify for the eliminations in the CEV Cup tournament. The important battle is on January 22 (Wednesday), at 7:00 PM Bulgarian time in Kolodruma Hall.
Currently, in the standings, Maritsa is in third place with three points, and Mladost is last with no points. The group leader is the Champions League winner Antonio Carraro Imoco Conegliano with 12 points, and DevelopRes is in second position with the same points, but the Italians have one less match. The two teams have already qualified for the Champions League eliminations.