The Bulgarian women's national team suffered its first loss at EuroVolley 2026. The "Lionesses" fell to Greece with a score of 1:3 (20:25, 25:21, 18:25, 23:25) in their second match of Group B in Brno.
After a convincing 3:0 win against Ukraine at the start, Marcelo Abbondanza's team had the opportunity to take a serious step towards the elimination rounds, but the Greek team proved more stable in key moments. Bulgaria managed to equalize after losing the first set and made an impressive comeback from 5:10 in the fourth, but could not complete the turnaround.
Greece started better and led 6:4 in the first set. The Bulgarians managed to equalize at 11:11 after an attack by Tsvetelina Ilieva, but the opponent pulled away again. Marcelo Abbondanza sought a change by bringing in Lora Slavcheva and Iva Dudova. Bulgaria closed the gap to 19:21 after a block by Ilieva, but in the end, the Greek team maintained their lead and closed the set at 25:20.
Abbondanza left Iva Dudova on the court for the start of the second set in place of Mikaela Stoyanova, who finished the first part with only 1 point and 14% attack efficiency. The change paid off. Bulgaria took a 6:2 lead, and after strong performances by Alexandra Milanova, Maria Krivoshiyska, and Tsvetelina Ilieva, the advantage reached 16:12.
Greece managed to come back and even turned the score to 19:18, but an excellent series by Dudova followed. The opposite hitter scored several consecutive attacks, Bulgaria again took the lead at 23:20 and closed the set at 25:21 for a 1:1 tie.
The third set was evenly matched until 12:11 for Bulgaria. Then, a serious collapse occurred in the "Lionesses'" play. Greece made a series of 9 consecutive points and turned the score to 20:12. The Bulgarians managed to reduce the deficit with good performances by Mikaela Stoyanova, Kaya Nikolova, and Maria Krivoshiyska, but the difference was too great – 18:25.
The fourth set offered the most drama. Greece took a 10:5 lead, but Bulgaria reacted and gradually closed the gap. Iva Dudova played a key role in the national team's run, and her ace brought a complete turnaround for 13:12. Point-for-point play followed, with our team leading 17:16, 18:17, and 21:20.
Greece responded and reached 23:21, but Mikaela Stoyanova reduced the deficit, and an out-of-bounds attack by Marta Anthouli brought the score back to 23:23. However, Bulgaria could not finish what they started. Tsvetelina Ilieva sent her serve out for 23:24, and in the last rally, Mikaela Stoyanova attacked into the net – 23:25 and 1:3.
Iva Dudova finished as the top scorer in the match with 23 points, despite not starting as a regular. Tsvetelina Ilieva added 17 points for Bulgaria. For Greece, Marta Anthouli scored 19 points, Elpida Tikmanidou finished with 18, and Marta Bakodimou with 17 points.
Dudova's performance was particularly indicative. Her inclusion changed Bulgaria's attack, she played a key role in winning the second set and was among the drivers of the comeback from 5:10 in the fourth. However, her strong match was not enough for a second consecutive success for the national team.
The most significant difference between the two teams came in blocking and reception. Greece finished with 12 blocks against only 5 for Bulgaria – a full 7 direct points more from this element. The "Lionesses" compensated somewhat with their serving, where they recorded 8 aces against 7 for the opponent. The difference in attack was not large – 54:58 points and 43% against 46% efficiency. Bulgaria's deficit in reception was significantly more serious. The Greek team finished with 48% positive reception against 31% for ours, and in perfect reception, the difference was double – 26% against 13%. Both teams received 19 points from opponent errors. Ultimately, Greece scored a total of 96 points against 86 for Bulgaria, with the superiority in blocking proving to be one of the key factors for the final result.
Thus, Bulgaria now has one win and one loss at EuroVolley 2026, while Greece recorded their second success after a dramatic 3:2 against Ukraine. The Greek team started the tournament with a loss to host Czechia.

photo:cev.eu