Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration from the Olympic champions, the Bulgarian women's national team managed to win a set against Italy – for the first time since 2010 in matches between the two teams. This happened in our girls' first match of the VNL tournament in Hong Kong. Head coach Antonina Zetova made a serious rotation, resting experienced players likeLora Kitipova, Elitsa Atanasijevic and Nasya Dimitrova, and relied on younger players – Lora Slavcheva, Iveta Stanchulova and Maria Krivoshiyska. Despite the final score of 1:3, the Bulgarians showed fighting spirit, aggression, and good energy against the reigning Olympic and VNL champions.

🏐 Match Report:

First set (17:25)

Italy started better, taking a 7:3 lead. Despite good attacks from Aleksandra Milanova and Mikaela Stoyanova, the Bulgarians never managed to significantly close the gap. The timeouts called by Zetova did not change the rhythm of the game, and the Italians took advantage of errors in our reception. The Italian block, led by Sara Fahr, was stable and closed the set with a convincing advantage. Bulgaria showed only 33% effectiveness in attack, with serve and block not being up to par.

Second set (25:23)

Bulgaria surprised their renowned opponent with a strong serve from Mikaela Stoyanova and good defensive organization. The 6:2 lead at the start was key, with Iveta Stanchulova and Hristina Vuchkova being stable in attack. At 24:20, the Bulgarians missed a few set points, but ultimately a powerful attack from Stoyanova brought the first set win against Italy in years. In this part, star Egonu's nerves gave out, and she received a yellow card for arguing with the referee. Vuchkova finished the two sets with 7 points and 88% attack efficiency.

Third set (15:25)

"Squadra Azzurra" reacted as if stung after the lost set. Strong serves and excellent play from Paola Egonu and Alice Degradi left no chances for Bulgaria. At 17:7, everything was already clear, and organizational errors in our team contributed to the decisive result. Bulgaria registered only 20% attack efficiency.

Fourth game (15:25)

The start was difficult – Italy led 5:1. Bulgaria managed to come back to 10:10 thanks to good attacks by Stoyanova and Vuchkova, and we even took the lead at 11:10 after an attack error by Omoruyi. Velasco called a timeout, after which there was another dip in the performance of the Bulgarian team. Italy's strong block and numerous individual errors in our team helped the champions achieve success in the match. Sara Fahr sealed the victory for the "Squadra Azzurra" with a central attack.

📊 Statistical Analysis

• Attack: Bulgaria made 53 successful attacks against 64 for Italy – a good performance, especially considering the more experienced opponent.

• Block: Here the main difference emerged – only 3 points from blocks for our team against 16 for the "Azzurri".

• Serve: The Bulgarians recorded 1 ace, while Italy made 4.

• Opponent's errors: Bulgaria received 15 points from Italy's errors, while our girls gave away 11 themselves.

🌟 Top Scorers

Bulgaria

• Alexandra Milanova– 15 points

• Mikaela Stoyanova– 15 points

Italy

• Paola Egonu– 26 points

• Alice Degradi– 19 points
  
  Statistics of Bulgarian players:
  

  No.	Player Name	Position	Total Points	Attack	Block	Aces	Efficiency (%)
  19	Alexandra Milanova	Outside Hitter (OH)	15	14	1	0	8.16
  23	Mikaela Stoyanova	Opposite (O)	15	13	1	1	6.15
  11	Hristina Vuchkova	Middle Blocker (MB)	12	12	0	0	16.22
  1	Iveta Stanchulova	Outside Hitter (OH)	8	8	0	0	-10.00
  4	Maria Krivoshiyska	Middle Blocker (MB)	5	5	0	0	-13.64
  3	Lora Slavcheva	Setter (S)	1	1	0	0	-10.00
  27	Aleksandra Saykova	Middle Blocker (MB)	1	0	1	0	0.00

📈 Standings

🌍

• Bulgarialoses 0.01 points, butretains 19th position in the world ranking.

🏐

• After the 1:3 loss, Bulgaria temporarily holds10th place in VNL.

🎙️ What they said after the match

After the end of the match, the head coachAntonina Zetovaexpressed satisfaction with the spirit her competitors showed:

"I liked the way the girls played - they played aggressively. We fought for every ball. In the second game, we saw that we could be equal against Italy. We didn't perform well on the block. I hope we play better on serve-block against China because those are our strong weapons."

The most effective player for Bulgaria in the match,Mikaela Stoyanova, also emphasized the importance of motivation and support:

"It would have been better if we had won. We are trying to play better with each passing match. We will seek victory against China. We hope to show a better game. I also hope the audience will support us. Don't stop supporting us, Bulgarian fans!"
💬 The young competitors showed character and a desire to play. The won game against Italy is a step forward in the team's development and a good foundation for the upcoming matches of the tournament.

Toni Zetova's girls' next match is tomorrow against China at 3:30 PM Bulgarian time.

photos:volleyballworld.com