Bulgaria suffered a 0:3 (24:26, 23:25, 19:25) defeat to Canada in its last match of the first week of the Volleyball Nations League, played in Quebec. Although the 'Lions'' play was inspired and competitive at times, especially in the first two sets, the Canadians demonstrated greater stability, effectiveness in decisive moments, and emerged as clear winners in front of their home crowd.
In terms of statistics, Canada scored a total of 76 points against 66 for Bulgaria. The Bulgarians excelled in attack (41 to 35 points), but this was neutralized by the Canadians through strong blocking (11 to 6) and slightly higher service success rate. Canada won a full 24 points from opponent errors, while Bulgaria received only 14 in this way – a difference that proved decisive. The substitutions made by head coach Blengini did not help, as he even took out Moni Nikolov and brought in Palev. Tatarov and Martin Atanasov came into play, as did Krasi Georgiev, and they did not help turn the tide in the third set.
In fundamental components like block and reception, Canada stood more solidly and did not allow serious breakdowns in their game.
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First set
Canada started better, leading 7:2 after a series of Bulgarian errors and stable attack through the middle. Gradually, the 'Lions' mobilized and reached a tie at 13:13 after good play by Moni Nikolov and Aleksandar Nikolov. The game continued point for point, with Bulgaria even leading 21:19 after a block and an ace. At the very end, however, Canada managed to equalize and capitalize on Antov's inaccuracies, thus winning the set 26:24.
Second set
Bulgaria started more confidently, leading 3:1, but again service errors and reception difficulties allowed Canada to quickly catch up. At 16:16, the game was completely even, but strong performances by Sclater and Moni Nikolov's former Long Beach teammate – Varga, as well as aces from Hofer, gave the Canadians an advantage. Despite attempts by reserves Martin Atanasov and Tatarov to turn the tide, Canada closed the set 25:23, again demonstrating greater concentration at the end.
Third set
The third set started worst for Bulgaria – a deficit of 2:8 after opponent blocks and aces. Blengini took an early timeout, after which there was a momentary revival and the score was reduced to 10:11. But new inaccuracies followed, weak reception, and Canada quickly regained a comfortable lead. An ace from Tatarov and a block from Petkov gave hope, but a series of errors ended Bulgarian ambitions. An error from Moni Nikolov's serve put an end to the match. Canada won 25:19 and closed the match decisively.
| No. | Name | Position | Total pts. | Attack | Block | Ace | Efficiency (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Venislav Antov | O | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | -2.63 |
| 23 | Aleksandar Nikolov | OH | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 10.00 |
| 1 | Simeon Nikolov | S | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 18.52 |
| 29 | Preslav Petkov | MB | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 23.81 |
| 4 | Martin Atanasov | OH | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5.88 |
| 8 | Asparuh Asparuhov | OH | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2 | Krasimir Georgiev | MB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| 3 | Iliya Petkov (C) | MB | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -21.43 |
| 12 | Georgi Tatarov | OH | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -11.11 |
Brody Hofer was the top scorer in the match with 21 points.
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Thus, Bulgaria finishes in 10th place in the interim overall standings after the end of the first week of the Nations League with 2 wins, 2 losses, and 5 points. Bulgaria is in 17th position in the world rankings, having lost 6.26 points.
Canada also finishes with 2 wins and 2 losses, but is in 6th place with 6 points, the same as Ukraine, but with a better point ratio, which ensures them a higher position in the VNL tournament.
After Bulgaria's 0:3 defeat to Canada in the last match of the first Volleyball Nations League tournament, captain Iliya Petkov made several important comments in an interview with VolleyballWorld.
Petkov openly admitted thatsome tactical instructions were not followed, which contributed to the loss:
"No excuses, but we did not follow some tactical instructions. Everything remains in our court."
This is a clear sign of responsibility and self-criticism on the part of the team.
Despite the negative result, Petkov expressedoptimism:
"We look more and more confident with each subsequent match and we are looking forward to the tournament in Burgas."
This shows that the team is looking forward with faith in improving their form.
Petkov was impressed bythe support of the Bulgarian diaspora in Canada:
"I did not expect to see so many Bulgarian flags here... Thank you for your support and we will see you again."
🔜 Next tournament: Burgas
The Bulgarian national team will playon home soil in Burgas, where expectations are for a better performance, supported by the home crowd.
