The Bulgarian national team for boys under 16 years old won the Balkan Championship in Mytilene (Greece) in a categorical manner. The young "lion cubs" finished the tournament undefeated, after defeating the host Greece 3:0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:21) in their last match.
Kristian Petkov was once again Bulgaria's leader and finished as the top scorer in the match with 17 points. Dimitar Georgiev added 12, with the two being the only volleyball players in the match with a double-digit point total.
Petkov's strong performance throughout the championship also earned him the individual award for MVP of the tournament.
Bulgaria concluded the Balkan Championship with four wins from four matches. It started with a 3:0 (25:18, 25:20, 26:24) victory against Turkey. Dimitar Georgiev and Kristian Petkov scored 19 points each, and the national team had a 9:4 advantage in blocks.
In their second match, Bulgaria defeated Romania 3:1 (25:19, 25:22, 22:25, 25:14). Petkov was the top scorer with 25 points, and our team recorded 13 blocks against 7 for the opponent and 9 aces against 6.
This was followed by a victory over Serbia with 3:1 (25:10, 25:19, 22:25, 25:18). Petkov scored 17 points, including 4 aces, and the Bulgarian team finished the match with an impressive 16 aces against only 3 for the opponent.
Thus, Bulgaria finished the tournament with a perfect record – four wins in four matches and only two lost sets.
In the other match of the last day, Turkey defeated Romania 3:0 (29:27, 25:16, 25:18) and won the silver medals, while the Romanians finished with the bronze.
Final standings:
Bulgaria
Turkey
Romania
Greece
Serbia
