Champions Levski Sofia are the first finalists in the WINBET Bulgarian Supercup tournament for 2026. In their home hall "Levski Sofia", Nikolay Zhelyazkov's proteges defeated Lokomotiv Avia (Plovdiv) with 3:0 (25:21, 25:21, 25:16), leaving no doubt, especially in the third set, who was the better team on the court.
Despite significant changes in the starting lineup, the champions demonstrated stable organization, superiority in attack, and more secure reception. Nikolay Zhelyazkov opted for Petko Petkov as setter, young Adrian Ganev in the middle, and junior Ivaylo Donov as libero.
Lokomotiv Avia, whose squad, according to coach Nayden Naydenov, has been 80% renewed, managed to be competitive with the champions in certain periods of the first two sets, but found no solution against the varied attack of the hosts.
The Plovdiv team started better and took a 9:6 lead in the first set. However, Levski gradually imposed their rhythm, and two consecutive blocks by Lazar Buchkov helped turn the tide. The "Blues" took the initiative and closed the set at 25:21.
The second set offered more even play. Lokomotiv even led 15:14 after successful actions by Nikolay Kartev, but the champions responded with a run that gave them a 22:17 lead. In the end, the Plovdiv team reduced the deficit to 24:21 before Gordan Lyutskanov scored the final point.
In the third set, the difference between the two teams became even more apparent. Levski led 5:1, 8:3, and 16:10, and their attack efficiency reached an impressive 68%. At the same time, Lokomotiv only managed five successful attacks out of 19 attempts (26%). The champions won the set 25:16 and finished the match in 76 minutes.

The top scorer for the winners was Kristiyan Titriyski with 15 points, followed by Gordan Lyutskanov with 13. Lazar Buchkov added 9, Todor Skrimov finished with 8, and Adrian Ganev contributed 7 points. Setter Petko Petkov recorded 4 points, including two aces and two blocks.
For Lokomotiv Avia, Julien Georgiev scored 11 points, Todor Dimitrov added 10, and Nikolay Kartev finished with 9.
Statistics show Levski's categorical superiority in attack. The champions scored 46 points from attack with 55% success rate, while Lokomotiv remained with 35 points and 40%. Both teams recorded eight blocks each, but the "Blues" had significantly better positive reception – 61% against 46%.
Especially indicative was the difference in perfect reception – 33% for Levski against only 15% for Lokomotiv. This allowed Petko Petkov to use his attackers more diversely, while the Plovdiv team was often forced to seek more predictable solutions.
During the third set, young Svetoslav Ivanov and Anton Stanchev also got playing time for Levski, with Ivanov scoring his first two points for the champions.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov