The Bulgarian national women's under-19 volleyball team, which won the European title last year, began its participation in the World Championship in Osijek, Croatia, with a loss. Our girls lost to Poland 1:3 (22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 20-25) in their first match of Group C in the preliminary phase.

📊 How the match unfolded

The Bulgarians started the match hesitantly and fell behind, losing the first two sets 22-25 and 18-25. In the third set, coach Atanas Petrov's girls showed why they are European champions and secured a 25-22 victory. The fourth set, however, was again in favor of Poland, even though our team led until the middle of the set, but the Poles intensified their serve and closed the match 25-20.

Match statistics:

Poland was more effective in attack and serve, which proved crucial in key moments. However, the Bulgarians performed better on block and forced their opponent to make more errors.

Thus, European champion Bulgaria started its world campaign with a defeat, but the team showed character and will have the opportunity to correct this start in its next matches. Important matches are ahead, in which our girls will seek victories to advance to the knockout phase and confirm their position among the best in the world for U19 girls.

• Top scorers for Bulgaria:

  • Naneva (№30) with 13 points

  • Angelova (№21) with 12 points

• For Poland, the following stood out:

  • Pinderska (№16) with 20 points

  • Kaczmarzyk (№2) with 15 points
    
    
    Bulgaria Statistics:
    

    No.	Name	Position	Total points	Attack	Block	Ace	Errors	Efficiency %
    30	Naneva	Middle Blocker (MB)	13	8	1	4		15.79
    21	Angelova	Middle Blocker (MB)	12	6	5	1		4.88
    19	Parapunova	Outside Hitter (OH)	11	11	0	0		4.88
    18	Veneva	Outside Hitter (OH)	7	4	3	0		-10.26
    7	Kitipova	Outside Hitter (OH)	6	3	2	1		0.00
    9	Todorova	Outside Hitter (OH)	5	5	0	0		3.33
    20	Sariev	Opposite (O)	3	1	1	1		-14.29
    14	D. Ivanova	Setter (S)	2	0	2	0		-4.76
    1	S. Ivanova	Middle Blocker (MB)	0	0	0	0
    2	Ninova (c)	Libero (L)	0	0	0	0
    4	Okoro	Opposite (O)	0	0	0	0		-20.00
    16	Dyankova	Setter (S)	0	0	0	0

    
    
    🏐 Group A – Mexico's Dominance and a Crucial Win for Canada

    • Mexico temporarily topped the standings after a clean 3:0 victory over Thailand (25:20, 25:14, 25:20).

      • Blocking was a key factor – the Mexicans scored 13 block points, compared to none for Thailand.

      • Naomi Alejandra Cruz Toledo was the top scorer with 14 points, supported by Torres and Tanguma.

    • Canada defeated Egypt 3:1 (25:23, 14:25, 21:25, 18:21).

      • Despite a tough second set, the North Americans secured the victory, led by the quartet of Emerson Matthews, Sofia Zabjek, Maya Bukovcan, and Sydney Bell.

    🏐 Group B – two tie-break matches and Brazil's lead

    • Brazil encountered no difficulties against the Dominican Republic and won 3:0 (25:14, 25:13, 25:20).

      • They excelled with 16 block points, and Louise Da Silva Tavares practically decided the match alone.

    • Argentina narrowly defeated Puerto Rico 3:2 (21:25, 25:11, 25:18, 17:25, 15:10) in a match with many errors and fluctuations.

      • In crucial moments, Paula Tomasa and Julieta Ariane Rueli led their team to success.

    • Chinese Taipei snatched a dramatic 3:2 victory over Serbia (25:19, 21:25, 28:26, 25:21, 13:15), in an evenly matched clash decided at the end.

      • Ping-Yu Chen was the engine of her team, while Anja Miovcic and Marija Babalj distinguished themselves for Serbia.

    🏐 Group C – Turkish and American women started strong

    • Turkey gave Peru no chance – 3:0 (25:14, 25:18, 25:18), demonstrating class in all elements (15 block points and 8 aces).

      • The leader was Begum Kaçmaz, but the Turkish women acted as a true team.

    • USA defeated Spain 3:1 (22:25, 25:16, 25:12, 25:23).

      • The Spanish women won the first set, but the American women tightened up and, with the help of Gabrielle Nichols and Macaria Spears, turned the match around.

    🏐 Group D – Italian and Japanese women ruthless

    • Italy crushed Chile 3:0 (25:9, 25:17, 25:11) for the shortest match of the day.

      • The South American women's errors made the task easier for Ludovica Tossini and company.

    • Japan was merciless against Belgium – 3:0 (25:15, 25:16, 25:14), demonstrating their typical defense and tactical sense.

      • Rion Chugandji finished with 19 points.

    • China also defeated Tunisia 3:0 (25:21, 25:18, 25:15).

      • The more the match progressed, the more the levels of the two teams diverged. Yuexin Huang was the main figure.

    📝 Conclusion

    The first day showed that the favorites (Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Japan, USA) are already in a strong rhythm and did not miss the opportunity to start with victories. Bulgaria suffered a loss, but against a serious opponent, and the decisive battles that will determine who will advance to the knockout phase are yet to come.