The Bulgarian women's national volleyball team lost to the Netherlands with a score of 0:4 (13:25, 15:25, 25:27, 22:25) in the first of two friendly matches between the two teams in Groningen before EuroVolley 2026.
The match was played in "Martiniplaza" as part of the TeamNL XL Weekend and was one of the last tests for the Bulgarian team, led by Marcello Abbondanza, before the European Championship.
The Netherlands started with Sarah van Aalen, Els Dambrink, Jolien Knollema, Laura Jansen, Indy Baijens and Britt Stuut, with Hester Jasper as libero.
The hosts had a significant advantage in the first two sets. The Dutch exerted strong pressure from serve, played stably in defense, and won decisively with 25:13 and 25:15. Tsvetelina Ilieva distinguished herself with an ace for Bulgaria at the beginning of the first set.
After that, the head coach of the Netherlands, Felix Koslowski, made numerous changes and practically used his entire squad. Bulgaria took advantage, and the performance of the national team significantly improved.
In the third set, the Bulgarians managed to turn the tide and took a 21:19 lead. However, the Netherlands reached 22:22 after an ace by Marit Jasper and snatched the contested set with 27:25.
Although the winner had already been determined, the two teams also played an additional fourth set. Bulgaria started strong and led 12:7, but the hosts gradually erased their deficit. After 16:16, the Netherlands took the initiative and reached 25:22, thus forming the final 4:0 (25:13, 25:15, 27:25, 25:22).
For Bulgaria, the positive moment in the test was the reaction after the tough first two sets. The national team was completely equal in the next two and had a significant lead twice, although it should also be noted that Koslowski used a significantly changed lineup.
Bulgaria and the Netherlands will play their second friendly match today at 3:00 PM Bulgarian time, again in "Martiniplaza" in Groningen.