Bulgaria's women's national team achieved an extremely valuable victory over Ukraine with a score of 3:2 (25:22, 19:25, 21:25, 25:15, 17:15) in their last match of the second week of the Nations League in Bangkok. This success is only the second for Marcello Abbondanza's selection in the tournament, but it kept the "lionesses'" real chances to remain among the strongest teams in the competition.
The match had immense importance in the battle for survival, as before its start, Ukraine occupied 15th place with 5 points, while Bulgaria was in the last 18th position with 3 points.
Bulgaria started confidently
The national team players started the match well and, after a contested first set, managed to take the lead. Mikaela Stoyanova was at the heart of the Bulgarian team's good performance, and an ace by Aleksandra Milanova helped secure an 11:8 lead. At the end of the set, the Ukrainians equalized to 22:22, but an ace by Stoyanova brought a decisive advantage and Bulgaria closed the set at 25:22.
Comeback for Ukraine
In the second set, the Ukrainians gradually took the initiative. Despite good performances by Miroslava Paskova and Borislava Saykova, the opponent built a comfortable lead and equalized after 25:19.
The third set started excellently for Bulgaria, who led 6:0, 7:3, and 13:10 after strong attacks by Mikaela Stoyanova. Ukraine, however, made an impressive comeback, turned the course of the set, and after a series of points, reached a 25:21 victory for a 2:1 sets lead.
Decisive response from the "lionesses"
Facing the danger of another defeat, the Bulgarian players reacted in the best possible way. In the fourth set, Merelin Nikolova, Kaya Nikolova, and Kalina Veneva led the team to a convincing victory. Two consecutive aces by Kaya Nikolova increased the lead to 14:7, and Bulgaria gave the opponent no chance, winning the set with a convincing 25:15.
Nervous tie-break and Bulgarian triumph
The decisive fifth set went point for point. Merelin Nikolova was the main attacking figure, and Borislava Saykova executed several important attacks through the middle. After a dramatic exchange of points, Bulgaria reached their first match point at 14:13, which was saved by the Ukrainians.
Another missed chance followed, but the national team players did not break. It was Merelin Nikolova who sealed the deal with a skillful play behind the block, securing the 17:15 victory in the tie-break.
Statistics show how evenly matched the game was, but also where the Bulgarian success came from. The national team players finished with 107 points against 102 total, compensating for a slight deficit in attack (61:64) with better serving (8:6 aces) and significantly more points from opponent errors (30:24). Bulgaria was also more effective in the defensive phase, recording 113 saved balls in defense against 102 for Ukraine. It was precisely the more stable play in key moments and the lower number of own errors that allowed the Bulgarian players to snatch the dramatic 3:2 victory (25:22, 19:25, 21:25, 25:15, 17:15).
The top scorer for the victory was Merelin Nikolova with 16 points, including crucial scores in the tie-break, while Miroslava Paskova added 13 points. For Ukraine, Artyushuk was above all with 22 points, followed by Milenko with 20.
Hope remains alive
In the third and final competition week, the national team players will play in Belgrade, where extremely important matches await them against hosts Serbia, Czechia, France, and Germany.
photo:volleyballworld.com
