Maritsa (Plovdiv) volleyball players took the first step towards their 11th consecutive title in the National Volleyball League (NVL) for women. In the first match of the final series, played in Plovdiv's "Stroitel" hall in front of 700 spectators, the champions defeated Levski Sofia with3:1 (25:22, 25:13, 26:28, 25:19).

Maritsa started the match strongly, taking the lead in the first set, but Levski put up serious resistance. Nevertheless, the Plovdiv team managed to win the first part with 25:22. The second set passed under the complete dominance of Maritsa, who won it convincingly with 25:13.

The third set was the most contested. After Maritsa took the lead at the beginning, Levski managed to equalize and even take the lead. A dramatic point-for-point battle led to an extension, in which the "blues" from Sofia showed character and won the set with 28:26.

In the fourth part, Maritsa again imposed their game and after taking a convincing lead, closed the set with 25:19 and won the match with 3:1.

The final playoff is played until 3 wins out of 5 possible matches. The second match will be held on April 22 in Sofia, and the third match is scheduled for April 25 in Plovdiv. All matches of the final series will be broadcast live on BNT 3.

During the season, Maritsa has an advantage against Levski, having won all three of their previous encounters - twice in the regular season (3:0 in Sofia and 3:2 in Plovdiv) and once in the final for the Cup of Bulgaria (3:1 in Sofia), where they won their 10th trophy from the tournament.
photo:NVL