Alex Nikolov: "When Lube plays like that, it's difficult for any opponent"

Aleksandar Nikolov started the new season in the Italian SuperLega with 19 points, 5 aces, and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in Lube Civitanova's 3-0 (25:20, 25:19, 28:26) away victory against Verona. After the match, the Bulgarian national player, coach Giampaolo Medei, and American middle blocker Jackson Howe commented on the team's convincing start.
When asked if Lube's performance on such a difficult court was a statement for the upcoming season, Nikolov replied with a smile:
"I accept this compliment. Truly a great performance, we are very happy. In my opinion, this is the Lube we will see often. A team extremely motivated to win, because we truly are. This was evident on the court even before the first point, even during the warm-up. So this is the Lube we will strive to show as often as possible. I hope it's always like this. And what can I say - when Lube plays this way, it's difficult for any opponent."
The third set was particularly indicative of the match's character. After the guests' categorical superiority in the first two sets, Verona managed to put up a significantly more serious resistance, but Lube withstood the pressure and closed out the match with a 28:26 score.
"In my opinion, it was very important in the very first match to go through a difficult moment where we fell behind a bit in the score. A young player came into the game - Lucas Glatz, who performed very well and increased the effectiveness of their attack. I'm happy because even though they played well, we managed to win the set in a very good way at the end. So I'm extremely happy. The first match went very well," commented Nikolov.
It was the Bulgarian outside hitter who ended the dispute with an ace for 28:26, after previously scoring the successful attack for 27:26. Thus, he finished the evening in the best possible way, in which he was Lube's main figure.
Giampaolo Medei: "We started the right way"
Lube's head coach Giampaolo Medei also expressed satisfaction with his players' performance, emphasizing above all their attitude towards the match and consistency in play.
"We definitely started on the right foot, there's no doubt about that. Today we had to show how we would enter the championship, and I think we did it the right way. First and foremost, with the right attitude. The guys also found good consistency in their play. It's obvious that this is just the beginning and there are still things we can do better. We have things to analyze and improve, but we are moving forward."
Medei also paid special attention to the team's reaction in the third set, when Verona managed to erase their deficit and even take the lead.
"We are happy with the way we approached this debut in the championship, on a very difficult court against a strong team. In the third set, our opponent caught up and overtook us, but we did not lose our composure. This season we will have many such difficult moments. This was the first, and we overcame it in the right way. This is important."
The Italian specialist also pointed out the specific elements in which he expects improvement:
"We need to find greater consistency in our serve, and in some blocking situations, be more precise. There are things we need to improve technically, but I think the team showed that it is ready to fight."
Jackson Howe: "We already feel that we are starting to gel"
American middle blocker Jackson Howe, who scored 6 points in his debut match in the Italian SuperLega, did not hide his excitement about the successful start.
"I feel incredible. Before the match, there were a lot of expectations and some pressure, because you never know how the first encounter will go. But it was great to play with this team. We already feel that we are starting to gel, and that's a great sign for the start of the season," Howe stated.
When asked what made the difference against Verona, the American highlighted the collective performance:
"I think we just managed to maintain consistency. Our passers did well with reception, we played very well as a team and managed to maintain the execution of our game tasks for longer periods of the match."
The victory in Verona brought Lube their first three points of the new season, and in addition to Aleksandar Nikolov, his younger brother Simeon, who finished with 5 points, was also in the starting lineup.