Bulgaria's women's national team recorded its first victory in the Nations League, defeating Dominican Republic 3:1 (25:21, 30:32, 25:19, 31:29). This is the first success for the new coach Tony Zetova. A great match for Mikaela Stoyanova, who started and finished the match as a starter. Bulgaria could have celebrated a more emphatic success, but allowed a comeback after leading the second set 21:17 and even having three set points, but dramatically lost the part 30:32. This did not break Tony Zetova's girls, who did not lose concentration and, despite some fluctuations, managed to record the valuable victory, which brings them 13.29 points for the world ranking.Thus, Bulgaria climbed one place and is now 19th with 167.20 points.

First set: 25:21

The Bulgarians fell behind 2:6, which forced Antonina Zetova to call a timeout. Setter Lora Kitipova struggled to adapt to playing through the middle. After that, the national team woke up – a series of successful attacks by Elitsa Atanasijevic, Aleksandra Milanova, and Mikaela Stoyanova led to a tie at 6:6. Stable blocking play, aces by Lora Kitipova, and dominance in attack brought a lead of 23:20. An ace by Stoyanova made it a final 25:21.

Second set: 30:32

The set was even with an exchange of initiative. Bulgaria took a 21:17 lead, but after a series of errors, allowed a tie at 22:22. The Dominicans were the first to reach set point, but our team also managed to reach closure of the part three times. In the end, after 30:30, which came after a successful attack by Mika Stoyanova, the Dominicans, through Gaila Gonzalez, tied the sets – 1:1.

Third set: 25:19

The Bulgarians dominated from the very beginning. Nasya Dimitrova shone with effective attacks and excellent "tips". Mikaela Stoyanova added an ace, and Vuchkova distinguished herself with a block. The convincing performance led to a 23:15 lead, and a Kitipova-Vuchkova combination ended the set – 25:19. In this part, Dominica made 8 unforced errors, and Mika Stoyanova already had a total of 16 points.

Fourth set: 31:29

The Dominican Republic started better, but the Bulgarians tied at 6:6 and turned it around to 12:8. The set developed dramatically, with the score going point for point, even the opponents took a 16:19 lead. After good attacks by Atanasijevic and Dimitrova, garnished with an ace by the captain, the score became 19:19. Nasya Dimitrova continued to be relentless in attack. The Dominican Republic first got a chance to send the match to a tie-break, but after a series of blocks and precise plays, Mikaela Stoyanova sealed the victory with two consecutive blocks – 31:29.

Top scorers for Bulgaria:

• Elitsa Atanasijevic– 21 pts (1 ace)

• Mikaela Stoyanova– 20 pts (4 blocks, 3 aces)

• Nasya Dimitrova– 18 pts (2 blocks, 1 ace)

• Alexandra Milanova - 11 pts (1 block)

• Hristina Vuchkova - 9 pts (4 blocks)

• Lora Kitipova - 4 pts (2 aces)
  

For the Dominican Republic:

• Brayelin Martinez - 30 pts (3 blocks)
  
  "I feel great," Stoyanova told VBTV after the match. "We needed this victory after the loss to Canada in the first match. It was difficult, we made mistakes that cost us the second set, but I'm glad we won. The end of the fourth set was also very tense, but we continued to believe we could do it and stayed united."
  
  In the second match of the day, there was also a team celebrating their first VNL 2025 victory. After losing their first match to Japan on Wednesday, the Netherlands recovered in excellent fashion, defeating hosts Canada 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23).
  
  Bulgaria's next match is against Serbia on June 8.
  
  
  photos:volleyballworld.com