Nasya Dimitrova and Kuzeyboru (Aksaray) were eliminated from the CEV Cup after being knocked out by Igor Gorgonzola (Novara). Lorenzo Bernardi's girls advance after a golden set. The Turkish team won 3-1 at home, but the Italian team won 3-0, leading to a golden set which Novara won 15-5.Dimitrova finished the match with 13 points (2 aces, 1 block).
Thus, Maritsa (Plovdiv) will face Igor Gorgonzola (Novara) in the 1/4 finals of the CEV Cup.
Maritsa defeated Mladost (Zagreb) with a 3-0 set score and finished in third place in their Champions League group with 6 points. This is the first time the team has advanced past the group stage of Europe's strongest club tournament.
Maritsa will play against an Italian team for the second time this season, after being in the same group in the group stage of the Champions League with last season's reigning champion, Antonio Carraro Imoco (Conegliano).
The team from Plovdiv will meet Igor Gorgonzola (Novara) for the first time in European tournaments.
Maritsa finished in third place among the third-placed teams in the Champions League – the Serbians from Tent (Obrenovac) became the best third-placed team with 8 points and advanced to the Champions League eliminations. Along with Maritsa, the Hungarian team Vasas (Budapest), the Polish team from Bielsko-Biala (Bielsko-Biala), and the Portuguese team Porto (Porto) will also play in the CEV Cup.
The matches will be played in February, and the exact dates and times will be announced soon. Maritsa will host the first leg and will be the away team in the return leg.
