Bulgaria recorded its fifth victory at the ongoing European Championship for girls under 18 in Greece and Romania. Our team defeated Finland 3:0 (25:21, 25:10, 27:25), with the match lasting 73 minutes.
The first set started point for point, and after a bad reception on our part and a good attack from the opponent, the Finns led us 11:12. This was followed by good plays on block and attacks through the middle, which allowed us to pull ahead by three points. A series of 4 points followed for our opponent, also a result of our poor reception, leading to an 18:18 tie. The score was tied several times, after which an attack through the middle, a block, and two aces followed, allowing us to close the set at 25:21.
In the second set, our team was in complete control of the court. We never lost the initiative for a moment, and at times the difference reached 16 points.
The third set was the most tense, with our team starting hesitantly. Individual errors and inaccurate judgments by the players increased. Nevertheless, we managed to pull ahead in the middle of the set, after which we allowed a series of 4 points. The Finns took advantage of our momentary relaxation and got within one point at the end of the set. Toni Zetova's girls managed to get the first chance for match point at 24:22, but allowed a tie. We had another chance to close the set, but failed again. It was only on the third attempt that Bulgaria triumphed, after an opponent's attack went out.
Bulgaria registered 12 points from serves, as well as one more error than the opponent. The most effective players for the Bulgarian team were Vyara Parapunova, who scored 13 points (including 3 from serves), and Kalina Veneva, who also scored 13 points (including 2 blocks). Elisaveta Sarieva added 10 points (2 aces, 1 block).