In their third match of the preliminary phase of the FIVB Volleyball Girls' U19 World Championship in Osijek (Croatia), Bulgaria achieved an impressive five-set victory over Turkey with a score of 3:2 (25-20, 17-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11). Our national team now has 5 points from two wins and one loss, placing them third in Group C and maintaining excellent chances for qualification to the next phase of the championship.
A match full of twists and high tension
The match offered true drama for volleyball fans. The Bulgarians started confidently and won the first set 25-20, but Turkey retaliated in the second set with 25-17. The same scenario repeated in the third and fourth sets – our team again took the lead 25-20, and the Turkish team equalized 25-17, sending the match into a decisive tie-break. There, the "lionesses" showed stronger mentality and took the victory with 15-11.
Better in attack and defense
Statistics highlight Bulgaria's superiority in key elements: 60 successful attacks against 49 for Turkey, as well as 110 digs against 86. In reception, our national team also had a slight advantage — 89 receptions against 80. The Turkish team compensated with more points from our errors (31 against 18), while in blocking (10-11) and serving (10-10), both teams were evenly matched.
Veneva shines, Angelova and Naneva with key interventions
The top scorer for Bulgaria was Veneva with 21 points (17 from attack, 3 aces, and 1 block). Angelova and Naneva added 15 points each, both being stable at the net with three blocks apiece. Setter Dimana Ivanova provided excellent organization with 148 successful rallies, far exceeding Turkey's 121.
| No. | Name | Position | Total pts. | Attack | Block | Service | Errors | Efficiency (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Veneva | OH | 21 | 17 | 1 | 3 | - | 12.00 |
| 21 | Angelova | MB | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | - | 26.47 |
| 30 | Naneva | MB | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | - | 14.58 |
| 4 | Okoro | O | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | - | 6.00 |
| 19 | Parapunova | OH | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | - | -2.22 |
| 9 | Todorova | OH | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | 26.67 |
| 14 | D. Ivanova | S | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | -11.11 |
| 1 | S. Ivanova | MB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | -20.00 |
| 2 | Ninova (c) | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
| 7 | Kitipova | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | -66.67 |
| 16 | Dyankova | S | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
The situation in the group
After their third match in the championship, Bulgaria has5 points, two wins, and one loss, which places them inthird place in Group C. This gives the "lionesses" valuable psychological comfort and a good position before the decisive final matches of the group stage. Tomorrow is a rest day at the tournament. Our next match is against world champion USA. The match is on Sunday at 10:15 PM Bulgarian time.
