Lokomotiv Avia continues its impressive performance in the second half of the Bulgarian men's volleyball championship. The Plovdiv team achieved its seventh consecutive victory for 2025, after defeating Montana with a score of 3:2 (25:19, 25:17, 23:25, 20:25, 15:9) in the last match of the 18th round.

Drama with a five-set success for the "black and whites"

Naiden Naidenov's volleyball players missed the opportunity to close the match in three sets, but nevertheless managed to maintain their concentration and win the tie-break. With this victory, they drew level on points with Montana, and the two teams now share third position in the standings with 35 points each.

Flying start for Lokomotiv
The match started evenly, with Montana even leading 17:16 in the first set. At that moment, Lokomotiv Avia stepped up its game and closed the set with a decisive 25:19.

The second set offered a similar scenario - the hosts maintained a slight lead, but at 18:16 they made a decisive run of five consecutive points to win 25:17 and take a 2:0 lead.

Montana's comeback and equalization in sets
The third set was contested until the very end. At 21:21, the visitors found a breakthrough in the reception of the "black and whites" and took a 23:21 lead, which gave them a psychological advantage and contributed to their 25:23 success.

In the fourth set, Montana started strong with a 7:2 lead and maintained control until the end. Lokomotiv managed to reduce its deficit to 20:21, but in the decisive moments the visitors showed more composure and closed the set at 25:20, taking the match to a tie-break.

The tie-break - an undisputed finish for the hosts
In the fifth set, Lokomotiv Avia again took the initiative and took a convincing 8:2 lead. Montana failed to get back into the match, and the Plovdiv team closed the match with 15:9, continuing their winning streak.

Top scorers for Lokomotiv AviawereKristof Horváth(23 points - 1 block, 2 aces, 57% attack efficiency and 34% positive reception) and captainTodor Valchev(21 points - 1 block, 1 ace, 46% attack efficiency and 64% positive reception). He became the MVP of the match.

For Montana Vasily Molotkovscored21 points(2 aces, 40% attack efficiency).Kaloyan Balabanov(17 points – 1 block, 55% attack efficiency and 46% positive reception) andKristiyan Aleksov(17 points – 2 blocks, 2 aces, 42% attack efficiency and 47% positive reception) also performed strongly, but their efforts were not enough for the win.

Results from the 18th round of the men's Super League:

📍 Lokomotiv Avia (Plovdiv) - Montana 3:2(25:19, 25:17, 23:25, 20:25, 15:9)

Other matches:

🔹Dunav (Ruse) - Deyja Sport (Burgas) 2:3(25:19, 24:26, 25:22, 19:25, 9:15)
🔹Cherno More (Varna) - Hebar (Pazardzhik) 3:2(26:24, 17:25, 31:29, 23:25, 16:14)
🔹Levski (Sofia) - Beroe 2016 (Stara Zagora) 3:1(25:27, 25:15, 26:24, 30:28)
🔹Neftochimic 2010 (Burgas) - Dobrudzha 07 (Dobrich) 2:3(25:17, 19:25, 25:18, 22:25, 12:15)
🔹CSKA (Sofia) - Pirin (Razlog) 3:0(25:18, 25:20, 25:18)

Photos: NVL