Bulgaria showed two completely different faces and achieved its second victory at EuroVolley 2026. The national team was on the verge of defeat against Austria after two very weak sets, but responded in the most emphatic way possible and won after a full comeback with 3:2 (24:26, 15:25, 25:15, 25:16, 15:4).
Thus, Marcello Abbondanza's team now has 2 wins, 2 losses, and 5 points after four matches played in Group B in Brno.
The first half of the match was far from desired for Bulgaria. In the opening set, neither team managed to pull away significantly. Austria took a small lead several times, the national team responded, and at 22:20, it even seemed that Bulgaria was closer to success. However, the lead was squandered. The Austrians equalized at 23:23, reached set point, and took the set 26:24.
Instead of a reaction, the most difficult period for the Bulgarian team in the match followed. Austria took a 9:4 lead in the second set and gradually began to increase the difference. The Bulgarian attack lost effectiveness, while the opponent made better and better use of their chances on counter-attack. At 16:7, the situation was already critical, and two consecutive aces from Kora Schaberl increased the difference to 19:9. Austria finished the set at 25:15, and Bulgaria found itself with its back against the wall at 0:2.
And that's when a completely different match began.
Abbondanza made changes, and Bulgaria came out for the third set much more aggressive. Monika Krasteva and Maria Krivoshiyska set the tone for 5:1, a little later the score was already 8:1, and an ace from Alexandra Milanova increased the lead to 9:1.
This time, the national team did not allow the opponent to come back. The serve became a particularly strong factor. Two consecutive aces from Krivoshiyska helped make it 20:12, and Bulgaria reduced the score to 1:2 after a decisive 25:15.
The comeback now seemed entirely possible.
Bulgaria started strong again in the fourth set and took a 5:1 lead. Iva Dudova increasingly found solutions in attack, and the serve continued to put the Austrian reception under enormous pressure. An ace from Lora Slavcheva helped make it 14:7, and a direct point from Krivoshiyska's serve made it 18:9.
Austria no longer had an answer to the pace of the Bulgarians. An attack through the middle by Krivoshiyska brought 25:16, and after four sets, everything started over – 2:2.
However, the tie-break became the most emphatic part of the entire match.
Bulgaria started with 3:0, increased the difference to 7:2 after strong performances by Monika Krasteva, and at 10:3 was already very close to completing the comeback. The Austrians never found a way to stop the momentum of the national team.
Iva Dudova put an end to the dispute for 15:4 – an impressive finish to a match in which Bulgaria lost the first two sets but gave Austria a total of only 35 points in the next three.
| Indicator | Austria | Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 10 | 10 |
| Attack efficiency | 42% | 47% |
| Attack points | 53 | 67 |
| Positive reception | 35% | 42% |
| Aces | 3 | 10 |
| Service errors | 10 | 10 |
| Opponent errors points | 20 | 17 |
| Total points scored | 86 | 104 |
The statistics also show why Bulgaria managed to change the course of the match. The national team finished with 67 points from attack against 53 for Austria and with higher efficiency - 47% against 42%. The most significant difference, however, came from service - 10 aces against only 3 for the Austrians, with an equal number of service errors - 10 each. Bulgaria was also better in positive reception - 42% against 35%, while blocking remained even - 10:10.
photo:cev.eu
