In one of the most dramatic matches in recent years, the Bulgarian national team achieved an extremely valuable and emotional 3:2 set victory over world champion Serbia. This is only the second victory for the "lionesses" under the guidance of coach Antonina Zetova, but certainly the most memorable one so far. The match went through numerous twists and turns, showcased high class from both sides, and ended with tense drama in the tie-break, including even a video challenge scandal.
First Set: Serbia Dominates from Start to Finish
The Serbians started the match powerfully and uncompromisingly, asserting total dominance in the first set. The Bulgarians made many errors in attack, and their opponents did not miss an opportunity to quickly build a lead. An ace by Sladjana Mirkovic and counter-attacks by Uzelac and Dangubic led to a double-digit deficit at 6:16. Despite a brief glimmer of hope after two blocks by Iveta Stanchulova, the set was convincingly won by Serbia with 25:12.
Second Set: Bulgaria Fights Back with Character
The "lionesses" managed to stabilize their game in the second set, where they showed a much more confident performance. Attacks by Mikaela Stoyanova and Elitsa Atanasijevic began to find their target, and a strong ace by Stoyanova made the score 18:13 in favor of Bulgaria. Despite the Serbians' attempts to catch up, the Bulgarians kept their cool and closed the set with 25:19 after an excellent block by Nasya Dimitrova.
Third Set: Complete Dominance by Bulgaria
The third set started with an early lead for Bulgaria, built through excellent performances by Stoyanova, Vuchkova, and Atanasijevic. The excellent block by Vuchkova and counter-attacks by Elitsa Atanasijevic led to 7:2 and forced the Serbian staff to call a timeout. Despite Serbia's attempts to counteract, our girls increased their lead to 22:11 and effortlessly closed the set with a convincing 25:16.
Fourth Set: Serbian Reaction and New Equalization
Serbia reacted swiftly in the fourth set, starting with an 8:0 run, aided by blocks and errors from the Bulgarians. The opponents' lead reached 13:5, and despite a brief awakening from Bulgaria, the difference remained significant. Attack errors and uncompromising actions by Uzelac and Mijatovic allowed Serbia to win the set 25:10 and take the match to a tie-break.
Tie-break: Drama, Blocks, and Scandal, but Victory for Bulgaria!
The tie-break was the climax of the entire match \u2013 filled with nerves, twists, and tension until the last point. The Bulgarians started strong with a block by Stoyanova and took a 6:2 lead. Serbia, however, quickly caught up with blocks by Kurtagic and even equalized. Atanasijevic and Stoyanova again led the attack, and an ace by the latter gave them a 10:7 lead. The first match point came at 14:11 after an attack by Alex Milanova, but errors led to a 14:14 equalization. After a block by Kurtagic against Atanasijevic, Serbia got a match point, but Vuchkova responded with a powerful block ", "15:15.
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This is where real drama ensued on the court. After a magnificent serve by Merelin Nikolova and a point for Bulgaria, scored by Atanasijevic, our team once again had a chance to close the match. Another strong serve from Nikolova followed, and Nasya Dimitrova blocked Serbia's poorly received ball. And here the drama unfolded - the referee called a fumbled ball by Nasya Dimitrova - 16:16.
The Bulgarian staff requested a video challenge, which confirmed - no fumbled ball and match point for Bulgaria.
At this moment, the Serbians insisted on a new video challenge for the last point, which led to chaos and almost a scandal, but in the end,the victory deservedly went to Bulgaria- 17:15 in the tie-break!
Thus, for the first time since 2019, Bulgaria wins two consecutive matches in the tournament.
Another very strong performance from Mikaela Stoyanova, who finished with the most points for our team, 34% in attack, and 6(!) blocks.
| № | Player's Name | Position | Total points | Attack points | Block points | Service points | Errors | Efficiency % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Mikaela Stoyanova | Opposite (O) | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8.62 | |
| 16 | Elitsa Atanasijevic (c) | Outside Hitter (OH) | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 8.47 | |
| 2 | Nasya Dimitrova | Middle Blocker (MB) | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4.55 | |
| 11 | Hristina Vuchkova | Middle Blocker (MB) | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 19 | Aleksandra Milanova | Outside Hitter (OH) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -4.44 | |
| 1 | Iveta Stanchulova | Outside Hitter (OH) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15.38 | |
| 7 | Lora Kitipova | Setter (S) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -16.67 | |
| 3 | Slavcheva | Setter (S) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 18 | Naneva | Middle Blocker (MB) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | Dudova | Opposite (O) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
