Bulgaria is the European Champion in women's U18! Toni Zetova's girls won the gold medals, outplaying the Belgian team 3:0 (25-15, 25-18, 28-26) in the final, played in Blaj (Romania).

Our team dominated at the net, where we made 12 blocks, against Belgium's 1. We also added 7 aces in our favor. In 84 minutes of play, our girls showed maximum concentration and an unprecedentedly strong serve, which maximally challenged the attack of the tall Flemish players. The most effective player for us was Darina Naneva, scoring 14 points (including 3 blocks and 2 aces), Vyara Parapunova added 12 points (including 3 aces). The most effective player for the Belgians was Thea Radovich with 16 points. On their way to the final and the title, the "lionesses" recorded a total of seven victories and only one loss - to the Hungarian team with 2:3 sets in the last match of the group stage in Greece.
Bulgaria's lineup:
Dimana Ivanova, Nikol Okoro, Kalina Veneva, Denitsa Angelova, Vyara Parapunova, Darina Naneva and Victoria Ninova - libero

The Bulgarians started the first set with a bang, with Parapunova scoring an ace with her very first serve. This was followed by a good drop shot by Okoro and two more aces by Vyara Parapunova. Belgium took their first timeout at 5:1, after which we scored two more points, followed by another ace, this time from Denitsa Angelova's serve. Belgium's first video check came at 13:6, but it was unsuccessful. From then until the end of the set, during which we scored 4 points from serves, our girls maintained a comfortable lead, also aided by frequent errors from the Belgians.

The second set also started well for our team, who again pulled ahead by 3 points. Belgium took the first timeout at 7:3, after a wonderful attack through the center by Darina Naneva. The 14-year-old Naneva continued her perfect plays on block and serve. At 12:6, a Belgian volleyball player was injured, which necessitated an almost 5-minute pause, during which time everyone prayed that our girls would not lose concentration. Nothing of the sort followed. Our team was maximally concentrated and continued to build up a lead, which reached 20:9. With another video check, the Belgians tried to slow down the inevitable at 23:16, but that did not happen and our team closed the set with an attack through the center. It was noticeable that it was through zone 3 that we had the greatest success (over 50 percent), as out of 19 attacks - 10 ended in points. During this set, the Belgians accumulated 11 errors.

The third set was the most closely contested and dramatic. At the beginning of this part, the Belgians led us for the first time with 1:2 and 2:3. After that, the game went point for point, with our serve no longer as aggressive as in the first two parts. At 11:8, the Romanian head referee called a zone violation on the Bulgarian team, after which our opponents scored 4 unanswered points - 12:12. We again intensified our serve and block, which allowed us to maintain a difference of 2-3 points. Toni Zetova called a timeout after three consecutive points by the opponent, at which point the score became 19:17. After a back-row attack and an ace from a serve, the Belgians managed to get within one point of us. After a serve out by the Flemish players, we were the first to get a chance to close the match. The tension took its toll, followed by a serve out and a successful video check by Belgium, at which point the score was tied. Twice our team had match point. In a very long rally, Belgium reached set point – 26:25. Zetova's video check was successful, and this was the third match point for Bulgaria. The golden point came after a double block by Okoro and Naneva. Bulgaria is the new European Champion! After 42 years, Bulgaria reached the European top, with our country winning the title in this age group for the first time. The last time Bulgarian representatives played in a final was in 1982!

Photos:cev.eu

Statistics:https://www-old.cev.eu/Competition-Area/MatchStatistics.aspx?ID=73511