Bulgaria's Women's U18 national team recorded their fourth victory at the European Championship after defeating Finland 3:1 (25:17, 25:9, 23:25, 25:23) in their fifth match of Pool II in Šiauliai, Lithuania. Atanas Petrov's squad accumulated 13 points and at least temporarily took the lead in the group standings, making another important step towards the semifinals.
Bulgaria started the match confidently and after an even beginning managed to assert their dominance. At 10:10, the national team made two strong runs and pulled ahead to 16:11, then calmly closed the first set 25:17 after an ace by Bozhidara Ivanova. The second set passed entirely under the dictation of the Bulgarian team. After 3:3, Atanas Petrov's team achieved an impressive run of 10 consecutive points, led 19:5, and reached a decisive 25:9 without any difficulties. Finland responded in the third set, took the lead early, and controlled the score for a long time. Although Bulgaria narrowed the gap with two consecutive aces by Antonia Stanislavova and came within a single point, the Scandinavians held the pressure and won 25:23. In the fourth set, the national team started stronger again, leading 7:1 and 16:10, but Finland managed to erase the deficit and equalize at 20:20. In the decisive rallies, the Bulgarians kept their composure, and after a successful attack by Katerina Popova, the ball grazed the net and fell into the opponent's court for the final 25:23 and 3:1.
Ivana Popova was the top scorer for Bulgaria with 17 points. Tsvetomira Velcheva stood out with 12 points and an impressive 78% attack efficiency, Antonia Stanislavova also added 12 points, while Bozhidara Ivanova and Edna Todorova scored 11 points each.
After this success, Bulgaria temporarily topped the standings in Pool II with 4 wins, 1 loss, and 13 points. However, the national team has also played one more match than Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and France, who will play their fifth-round matches later today.
Until the end of the group stage, the Bulgarian team has two more key matches. On July 8, the national team will face France, and a day later, they will play against Hungary. These two matches will be decisive in the battle for the top two spots in the group, which grant access to the semifinals.

photo:cev.eu