Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov might make one of their first, and probably their very first, joint appearance with Cucine Lube Civitanova at the strong international Jesi Volley Cup. The four-team tournament will take place on October 10 and 11 at PalaTriccoli in Jesi and brings together Lube, Allianz Milano, Olympiacos, and the Japanese Suntory Sunbirds Osaka.

The Bulgarian presence makes the tournament particularly interesting for local fans. Besides the Nikolov brothers at Lube, national team player Georgi Tatarov will play for Allianz Milano in the new season, and Martin Atanasov will wear the Olympiacos jersey. Thus, three of the four participating clubs have Bulgarian national team players in their rosters. In last year's edition of the tournament, national team players Georgi Tatarov and Iliya Petkov, who defended the colors of Grottazzolina, faced off against Alex Nikolov and Lube, Civitanova.

The likelihood of the teams' big names being in Jesi is significant also due to the tournament's place in the calendar. The Jesi Volley Cup is on October 10 and 11, and just a week later – on October 18 – the Italian SuperLega begins. Lube starts the season with an away game against Rana Verona, which makes the competition in Jesi the final dress rehearsal before the official matches.
EuroVolley ends on September 26, leaving two weeks until the Jesi Volley Cup. Lube has already announced that Canadian national team players Eric Loeppky and Jackson Howe are expected to be available to Gianpaolo Medei from September 28, and the remaining national team players will gradually join in the following days.
This increases the likelihood of seeing Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov together with the Lube team in Jesi. However, before the tournament, the team has an official friendly match against Cisterna on October 4, so their first joint appearance could be even then.
Lube's squad features a strong national presence. Besides Alex and Moni, it includes Italian national team players Mattia Bottolo, Fabio Balaso, and Giovanni Maria Gargiulo, Canadians Eric Loeppky and Jackson Howe, Serbian national team player Miran Kujundžić, and Czech national team player Antonín Klimeš. Gargiulo is not in Italy's squad for the current EuroVolley.
Klimeš already has an interesting history with Simeon Nikolov. The two were rivals in the semifinals of the 2025 World Championship in Pasay City, and this summer they met again on opposite sides of the net during the Bulgaria – Czech Republic friendlies in Samokov. After EuroVolley, they will now have to work together in Civitanova.

Tatarov will be on the same team as the legendary Simon

Allianz Milano also arrives with an intriguing selection. Bulgarian national team player Georgi Tatarov will be a teammate of one of the biggest names in modern volleyball – the Cuban Robertlandy Simón.
The squad also includes Francesco Recine, Japanese national team player Tatsunori Otsuka, and Belgian national team player Seppe Rotty.

Atanasov and Rörs from Monza at Olympiacos

The third Bulgarian club highlight comes from Olympiacos. Martin Atanasov moved to the Greek giant and will once again be a teammate of German national team player Erik Röhrs, with whom he played together last season at Vero Volley Monza.
Among other interesting names at Olympiacos are the 212-cm American opposite Jake Hanes and the experienced Italian setter Michele Baranowicz.

Ben Tara and Kliuka among Suntory's stars

The fourth participant is the Japanese Suntory Sunbirds Osaka, which boasts an impressive international selection.
One of the major new additions is Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara, who spent the last three seasons at Perugia. The 209-cm Egor Kliuka – a former Russian national team player and Olympic silver medalist – also remains with the Japanese team.
Suntory also features Argentinian national team player Luciano Palonsky and Japanese national team players Masahiro Sekita, Taishi Onodera, and Kotaro Kai.
There is a Bulgarian trace here too. A new addition is Romanian national team player Daniel Chițigoi, son of former Bulgarian national team player Radostina Gradeva.
Additional intrigue is brought by the fact that the Jesi Volley Cup will take place after the men's continental championships, which in 2026 allocate direct quotas for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. This means that among the volleyball players we might see in Jesi, there could be some whose national teams have already secured a spot at the Olympics.

Eight checks for Lube

Jesi Volley Cup will be the culmination of Lube's pre-season preparation for the 2026/27 season. The Italian powerhouse has planned a total of eight matches – five joint training sessions, one official friendly, and the two matches from the international four-team tournament in Jesi.
The first test is on September 12 against Essence Hotels Fano. This is followed by two matches against Associati Fisiomed Macerata – on September 16 and 22, as well as two encounters with Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina – on September 26 and 30.
On October 4, Lube will play an official friendly against Cisterna in San Severino Marche.
The two matches of the Jesi Volley Cup follow on October 10 and 11, and just a week later – on October 18 – comes the first official match of the season against Rana Verona.
Thus, Jesi could become not only Lube's dress rehearsal but also one of the most interesting pre-season international tournaments for Bulgarian fans – with Aleksandar Nikolov, Simeon Nikolov, Georgi Tatarov, and Martin Atanasov in one place and with stars like Robertlandy Simon, Wassim Ben Tara, and Egor Kliuka on the other side of the net.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov