Head coach of the Bulgarian men's national team Gianlorenzo Blengini announced the squad for the third and final week of the Volleyball Nations League. The "Lions" will play in Chicago, where it will be decided which seven teams will join host China in the Final Eight in Ningbo.
Bulgaria departs for the USA from eighth place in the provisional standings with 5 wins, 3 losses, and 14 points. This puts the national team in a direct battle for a spot among the best, with every win in Chicago potentially proving decisive.
Among Blengini's chosen players is once again Zhasmin Velichkov. During the second week of the Nations League, he was part of the U22 men's national team that participated in the European Championship in Albufeira, and Georgi Tatarov was included in the squad for the Ljubljana tournament in his place.
The national team will also count on significant support from the stands, where a large presence of Bulgarian fans is expected.
Bulgaria will begin its participation on July 15 against Poland, after which they will successively face China, host USA, and France.
Bulgaria's Schedule in Chicago:
July 15, 8:00 PM – Bulgaria – Poland
July 18, 12:00 AM – Bulgaria – China
July 19, 4:00 AM – Bulgaria – USA
July 20, 12:00 AM – Bulgaria – France
Bulgaria Squad for the Chicago Tournament:
Setters:Simeon Nikolov, Stoil Palev
Outside Hitters:Aleksandar Nikolov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Denislav Bardarov, Martin Atanasov, Zhasmin Velichkov
Middle Blockers:Alex Grozdanov, Iliya Petkov, Preslav Petkov, Boris Nachev
Opposite Hitters:Venislav Antov
Liberos:Damyan Kolev, Rusi Zhelev
