The Bulgarian men's national team U20 started its participation in the European qualification in the BVA zone convincingly. Ventsislav Simeonov's trainees left no chances for North Macedonia and won 3:0 (25:13, 25:12, 25:12) in the "Hristo Botev" hall in Sofia.
The difference between the two teams was evident from the very first minutes. The Bulgarian volleyball players imposed serious pressure from the serve, which disrupted the opponent's reception and allowed the block and defense to almost entirely control the game. The match ended in about 65 minutes.
Nikola Gradinarov gave the initial impetus for the national team with a series of serves, after which Bulgaria took a 5:0 lead in the first set. North Macedonia never found a way to counteract, and the lead gradually increased to 11:4. The Bulgarians maintained the high tempo until the end and took the set with 25:13.
The scenario was repeated in the second set. Nikola Velikov started with an ace, and Bulgaria quickly pulled ahead 3:0. Another strong serving series by Gradinarov helped the difference become 8:1. The pressure on the Macedonian reception continued, and our national team reached an even more emphatic 25:12.
The large difference allowed Ventsislav Simeonov to make a number of changes for the third set and give playing time to all his players. North Macedonia managed to keep the score tied until 5:5, but a new Bulgarian series followed for 9:5. From then on, there was practically no intrigue, and Bulgaria again closed the set at 25:12, and with that, the match 3:0.
The convincing success is particularly important given the format of the tournament, where every result matters for the final standings. Bulgaria showed serious superiority in serve and block, and the opportunity for the entire squad to play was an additional plus before the much tougher challenges in the coming days.
Bulgaria's next opponent is Serbia. The match is on August 26 at 5:30 PM in the "Hristo Botev" hall and will be the first serious test for Ventsislav Simeonov's team in the qualification.
In the other two matches of the first day, the winners also did not lose a set. Turkey defeated Belarus 3:0 (25:20, 25:21, 26:24), with the third set being the most contested. Russia also started with a clean victory, after defeating Serbia 3:0 (25:21, 25:18, 25:15).
Thus, after the first day, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Russia started with one 3:0 victory each, while North Macedonia, Belarus, and Serbia remained without a set won.