The Bulgarian national team finished its participation in the main phase of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 in eighth place with 7 wins, 5 losses, and 20 points. Despite this, "the Lions" failed to qualify for the Final Eight due to the guaranteed participation of host China. However, individual statistics ranked several Bulgarian nationals among the best in the world, and Aleksandar Nikolov became the great statistical hero.
Alex Nikolov is the top scorer
| No. | Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandar Nikolov | Bulgaria | 278 |
| 2 | Ferre Reggers | Belgium | 268 |
| 3 | Nik Mujanović | Slovenia | 227 |
| 18 | Asparuh Asparuhov | Bulgaria | 135 |
Aleksandar Nikolov convincingly won the most prestigious individual ranking in the VNL, finishing with a ten-point lead over Belgian Ferre Reggers. Interestingly, the two repeated the same ranking in the Italian SuperLega last season.
Nikolov also topped the attackers' ranking
| No. | Player | Points | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandar Nikolov | 247 | 53.93% |
| 2 | Ferre Reggers | 246 | 49.50% |
| 3 | Nik Mujanović | 196 | 51.72% |
| 23 | Asparuh Asparuhov | 106 | 50.72% |
Bulgaria has two representatives among the top 25 attackers in the tournament. For Nikolov, this is his second first place in individual statistics, which once again confirms that he was among the most dominant players in the entire Nations League.
Grozdanov and Simeon Nikolov among the best blockers
| No. | Player | Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson Howe (Canada) | 45 |
| 2 | Bedirhan Bülbül (Turkey) | 37 |
| 3 | Bartłomiej Lemański (Poland) | 28 |
| 3 | Yurii Semeniuk (Ukraine) | 28 |
| 4 | Alex Grozdanov (Bulgaria) | 27 |
| 12 | Simeon Nikolov (Bulgaria) | 17 |
Captain Alex Grozdanov solidified his reputation as one of the best middle blockers in the world, and the presence of setter Simeon Nikolov in the Top 12 also makes an impression. The leader in the ranking is the Nikolov brothers' future teammate at Lube Civitanova – the Canadian Jackson Howe.
Three Bulgarians shine in serving
| No. | Player | Aces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmytro Yanchuk (Ukraine) | 21 |
| 1 | Ran Takahashi (Japan) | 21 |
| 3 | Aleksandar Nikolov (Bulgaria) | 20 |
| 4 | Simeon Nikolov (Bulgaria) | 17 |
| 4 | Asparuh Asparuhov (Bulgaria) | 17 |
Only one ace separated Aleksandar Nikolov from first place. Even more impressive is the fact that Bulgaria has three players among the leading servers – an achievement few national teams can boast.
Simeon Nikolov impresses even outside the role of setter
| No. | Player | Digs |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Simeon Nikolov (Bulgaria) | 70 |
| 14 | Damyan Kolev (Bulgaria) | 63 |
In addition to finishing sixth among setters with 307 accurate sets and a 34.46% success rate (the leader in this ranking is Frenchman Antoine Brizard with 396 accurate sets at 40.57% ed.), the 208-cm tall Simeon Nikolov also ranked 11th in digs, surpassing the starting libero Damyan Kolev.
Equally curious is the fact that the highest-ranked Bulgarian in reception is Aleksandar Nikolov. Although officially an outside hitter, in some rotations he plays as an opposite and does not participate in this element, which makes his statistics even more impressive.
Thus, Bulgaria finished the main phase of the VNL without a spot in the Final Eight, but with an impressive individual presence in almost all leading statistical categories. The brightest figure was undoubtedly Aleksandar Nikolov, who cemented his status as one of the biggest stars in world volleyball.
Photos:volleyballworld.com
