CSKA's women's team finished second in the Balkan Cup tournament in Strumica (North Macedonia), after recording two wins and one loss. The trophy and the quota for participation in the Challenge Cup were won by Greek Olympiacos, who finished the competition undefeated.
In their last match, Yulia Ivanova's volleyball players defeated Kosovo's Drita (Gjilan) 3:1 (25:19, 25:23, 22:25, 25:15) in front of just 20 spectators in the "Park" hall. The Bulgarian team won the contested second set, allowed their opponents to reduce the deficit, but closed the match convincingly in the fourth set.
The most effective player for CSKA was Nikol Okoro, European and world champion with Bulgaria's youth national teams. She scored 25 points, including 4 blocks, with 29% attack efficiency. Her reception was 47% positive and 35% perfect.
Madlen Miteva added 12 points, 2 of which were from blocks, and Eva Kamenska also finished with 12, including 3 blocks and 43% attack efficiency. Alexandra Peycheva contributed 11 points.
A day earlier, the "reds" achieved their first victory in the tournament, after overturning host Nakovski 3:1 (20:25, 25:22, 25:21, 25:20). At the start, however, CSKA heavily lost to Olympiacos 0:3 (13:25, 18:25, 6:25), managing to win only six points in the third set.
It was the defeat by the Greek team that proved decisive for the final standings. Olympiacos achieved three victories and won the Balkan Cup, which secures a spot in the European club tournament Challenge Cup.
In the first round of the competition, the team from Piraeus will face Portuguese Benfica. The first match will be between October 27 and 29 in the "Melina Mercouri" hall in Rentis, and the return leg in Portugal is scheduled for November 3–5.
For CSKA, participation in Strumica ended with a positive balance, but also with a clear difference in class compared to Olympiacos. After a tough start, the Bulgarian team managed to recover and win its remaining two matches, with Nikol Okoro standing out for her scoring in the final game.