A shocking piece of news marked the last day of preparation for the women's national volleyball team -22-year-old outside hitter Maria Yordanova has left the training camp and will not travel with the team to Polandwhere the "lionesses" will participate in the prestigious Koszalin Mayor's Cup tournament (May 23–25).

The player sent a letter personally to the President of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev, in which she statedher desire to end her participation with the national jersey. Her decision provoked a strong reaction from coach Antonina Zetova:

"I was unpleasantly surprised by Maria's decision. After all, she is 22 years old, and her lack of motivation to play for the national team is incomprehensible - both to me and to the girls in the team. A player of her class sets a bad example for the younger ones," commented Zetova.

The situation around Yordanova is not the only challenge for the head coach. The tournament squadalso does not include captain Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevicwho had warned in advance about personal commitments during this period:

"When I invited her, she told me she had an urgent commitment, and I assured her we would respect it. I am glad she accepted the call-up and will be part of the squad for the Nations League," the coach added.

Experienced libero Zhana Todorova also did not start training with the teamdue to serious family reasons. "We rely heavily on Zhana and hope everything works out for her," said Zetova.

The national team departs for Poland on Thursdaywhere they will face the hosts, France, and Sweden. The first match will be against the Polish team and will markAntonina Zetova's unofficial debut at the helm of the "lionesses".

After the last nearly 3-hour training session in "Hristo Botev" hall, the group of 14 players was determined:

• Aleksandra Milanova

• Aleksandra Saykova

• Borislava Saykova

• Galina Karabasheva

• Daria Ivanova

• Emileta Racheva

• Iveta Stanchulova

• Lora Kitipova

• Lora Slavcheva

• Maria Krivoshijska

• Merelin Nikolova

• Mikaela Stoyanova

• Nasya Dimitrova

• Hristina Vuchkova

An intriguing start to the new cycle in the national team is coming – with fresh faces, the absence of some experienced figures, and with an eye on the VNL. We expect to see if Zetova will manage to build a competitive squad despite the early shakes in the camp. 🇧🇬🔥