The Bulgarian national team recorded its first victory in the 2025 Volleyball Nations League, winning 3-0 (25:21, 25:20, 28:26) in an hour and a half against the strong Argentine team. The match featured intense fighting, stable play in key moments, and excellent organization in both defense and attack.
With 3 points (1-1), the "Lions" climbed to 9th place in the provisional VNL 2025 standings. The Argentinians are in 7th position with 5 points (2-1). Poland and Japan lead with a perfect 6 points (2-0).

First set:
The start was completely even until 4:4, but Argentina managed to take a 6:4 lead after a mistake by Asparuh Asparuhov and an ace by Nicolas Zerba. Bulgaria quickly returned to the set and even took a 10:8 lead after a strong run by Venislav Antov. Gradually, our nationals took control and gained an advantage at 22:20. A strong block by Preslav Petrov brought victory in the set – 25:21.

Second set:
This set also started competitively until 11:11, with the two teams frequently exchanging the lead. A strong surge by Aleksandar Nikolov and effective defense put Bulgaria ahead 18:15. Mistakes by Argentina made it easier for the "Lions," who maintained their lead until the end. Bulgaria won the second part 25:20 after another successful block.

Third set:
The third set was the most tense. The start was again even until 7:7, but a series of good plays by Luengas gave Argentina the lead. The "Gauchos" led several times (8:13, 13:16, 18:20, 20:22), but our team managed to catch up. A strong final assault by Antov, Alex Nikolov, and Moni Nikolov led to 26:26. Bulgaria saved two set points, and Moni Nikolov with two consecutive aces ended the dispute. The set finished 28:26, and Bulgaria triumphed 3-0 in the match.

Bulgaria played a stable and balanced match, with dominance in attack, better defense, and several key service runs that tipped the scales. Bulgaria had significantly more successful digs (46 vs. 35), which means a better reaction to opponent attacks. However, this was not just a team victory – the individual contributions of several players were also decisive.

🔥Venislav Antov – leader in attack

• 14 points, 11 from attack, highest efficiency (17.07%)

• Strong and consistent in offense, plus added value with2 aces

• Showeda complete opposite hitter profile – accurate, powerful, and confident in decisive moments, he was often sought after, which shows trust in him, but there is room for even more stable performance

✅Conclusion:In this match, Antov is a key axis in the team's offense

🎯 Aleksandar Nikolov – key scorer with slight fluctuations

• 13 points in attack, 1 ace

• With the most attacks, but slightly lower efficiency – 10%

✅Conclusion:A central figure in the attack, with potential for an even higher level

🛡 Preslav Petkov – a wall at the net

• Only 4 points, but3 from block– most in the team

• Very important contribution in key rallies, especially at the end of the sets

✅Conclusion:He performed his role perfectly – not with volume, but with impact

⚖️ Iliya Petkov – a stable captain

• 7 points – 6 in attack, 1 block

• Average efficiency, but his contribution is strategic: he held the middle and stabilized the block

✅Conclusion:Quiet but important support – a captain's role, without unnecessary risks

Asparuh Asparuhov

• 6 points, butwith efficiency (-3.70%)

• No block or ace, which suggests a certain one-sidedness in his play

Simeon Nikolov (setter)

• 6 points, of which 3 in attack + 1 block and 2 aces, but also-12.50 efficiency
  
  At the same time, the statistics of our setter's main activity, who directs the game, speak for themselves:
  

  Статистика на Симеон Николов (Разпределител)

  №	Player Name	Position	Points	Errors	Attempts	Total	Efficiency (%)
  1	S. Nikolov	S	16	0	46	62	25.81

  
  Efficiency 25.81%:

  • For a setter, this percentage reflectsthe ratio of successful attacks after his pass to his total attempts.

  • Anything above 20% in an intense match and strong opposition (like Argentina) is considereda very good indicator.
    
    Top scorers for Argentina:
    
    Germán Gómez with 13 points (6 aces)

  Luciano Palonsky with 11 points (7 aces)
  
  

• Head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini seems to have found the right balance between youth and experience in the squad, and the team showed visible progress in their play compared to the previous match against world champion Italy. This is an important step forward for the Bulgarian team, which is looking for stability and confidence on the international stage. The victory over Argentina - a team with traditions and a serious performance so far in the tournament - is indicative of the potential that lies in this young selection. This is also the first victory over this team since 2018, bringing the balance to 2:4 in favor of the "Gauchos".
  With this victory, Bulgaria added 16.09 points to the world ranking and climbed two places to 17th position.
  
  

  
  

  
  Simeon Nikolov after the victory over Argentina:

  "I feel great! And as my brother said the other day, we came here for victories. We know we played well. We knew we wanted to get something more, and we succeeded."

  "Argentina tried to come back in the third set, but we stayed united, together on the court, and took advantage of our chances."

  "The atmosphere in our team is always wonderful. My brother and I always feel it. We also see the fans supporting us here in Canada, we see all these flags, and that energizes us even more."]}

Bulgaria's next match, which is against Germany, will be a new test, but also an opportunity for further development. Bulgaria has already shown that it can compete at a high level - it remains to maintain this line.

photos:volleyballworld.com