Bulgarians left their mark in the first round of SuperLega, Serie A2, and Serie A3. The Nikolov brothers started with a win, Zhelev participated in a record-breaking marathon, and Kaloyan Valchinov brought 15 points for Campobasso.
The new season in Italian men's volleyball began with impressive individual achievements, dramatic matches, and several historical records. Among those who distinguished themselves in the first round were also the Bulgarian volleyball players who play in the three professional divisions.
SuperLega: Aleksandar Nikolov topped the aces ranking
Cucine Lube (Civitanova) started with a convincing away victory against Verona with 3:0 (25:20, 25:19, 28:26). Aleksandar Nikolov scored 19 points, including 5 aces, and was named the best player of the match.
With this achievement, the Bulgarian national player topped the ranking for direct points from service and took third place among the scorers in the championship. Ahead of him are only the French opposite hitters Théo Faure from Trento with 23 points and Nathan Wounembaina from Cuneo with 22.
Simeon Nikolov also started as a starter and finished with 5 points. Thus, Lube's setter became the most effective player in his position in the first round.
The Bulgarian presence in SuperLega is not limited to the Nikolov brothers. Iliya Petkov scored 13 points, and Zhasmin Velichkov added 12 for Monza in their away loss to newcomer Prata di Pordenone with 1:3 (22:25, 25:19, 21:25, 23:25).
Georgi Tatarov came off the bench and scored one point for Allianz Milano in their defeat to Cisterna with 0:3 (27:29, 14:25, 15:25).
Manuel Zlatanov, grandson of the legend Dimitar Zlatanov and a player for Italy, also had a strong start. The outside hitter finished with 14 points for Piacenza in their 3:0 (25:19, 25:21, 25:16) victory over Padua.
Serie A2: Rusi Zhelev with 30 points in a historic marathon
The most effective Bulgarian in the three divisions was national player Rusi Zhelev. The outside hitter for Reggio Emilia scored 29 points in their 3:2 (25:16, 20:25, 38:40, 25:23, 19:17) victory over Belluno.
The match lasted3 hours and 17 minutesand set a record for the longest match in Serie A2. The third set alone lasted 54 minutes, and 78 rallies were needed to determine the winner.
Zhelev finished second among the scorers in the round after Slovenian Klemen Šen from Reggio Calabria, who scored 32 points.
It is interesting that in the summary bulletin of the Italian league, Zhelev is credited with 30 points, while the official match protocol indicates 29.
Four Bulgarians against each other in Fano
The match between Fano and Gioia del Colle brought together four Bulgarian volleyball players from both sides of the net. The hosts won 3:1 (25:11, 23:25, 25:15, 25:20).
Denis Karyagin scored 14 points for the winners, and setter Stoil Palev added 3. For the guests, Vladimir Garkov finished with 8 points, and middle blocker Boris Nachev with 3.
Fano also distinguished itself with strong team statistics. The team finished the round with the highest attack efficiency - 51.2%, the most successful blocks - 19, and the most aces - 9.
The match also brought a personal jubilee for Denis Karyagin, who reached the 500-point mark in Serie A2.
Hristiyan Dimitrov with 11 points in Ravenna's loss
Hristiyan Dimitrov started as a starter for Consar Ravenna, but his team lost at home to Grottazzolina with 0:3 (21:25, 23:25, 27:29).
The Bulgarian opposite scored 11 points, and the top scorer for the hosts was Mattia Cominetti with 16.
Serie A3: Kaloyan Valchinov with a win and 15 points
There was also Bulgarian presence in the third tier of Italian volleyball. Kaloyan Valchinov started the season with 15 points for EnergyTime Campobasso in their home victory over Taviano with 3:1 (26:24, 23:25, 29:27, 25:19).
The Bulgarian outside hitter was the third-highest scorer for the winners after Francesco Guerrini with 19 points and Antonino Suraci with 17. The third set proved crucial, with the hosts prevailing 29:27.
SuperLega leaders after the first round
Top scorers:Théo Faure (Trentino) – 23 points, Nathan Wounembaina (Cuneo) – 22, Aleksandar Nikolov (Lube) – 19, Wout D'Heer (Prata di Pordenone) and Ferre Reggers (Perugia) – 18 each.
Most attack points:Théo Faure and Nathan Wounembaina – 20 each.
Most aces:Aleksandar Nikolov – 5.
Most successful blocks:Shikun Peng (Cisterna) – 8.
Top scorer middle blocker:Wout D'Heer – 18 points.
Top scorer setter:Simeon Nikolov – 5 points.
Among the teams, Trento topped the attack efficiency ranking with 66.7%, Perugia had the best reception statistics – 36.2%, as well as the most aces – 12. Cisterna and Prata di Pordenone finished with 13 successful blocks each.
Thus, after the first round, two Bulgarians topped individual rankings in the elite. Alexander Nikolov's five aces put him at the top of the server's list, and Simeon Nikolov was the top scorer setter.
Two historical results in the Cuneo – Perugia match
Perugia's away victory against Cuneo with 3:2 (18:25, 25:7, 25:15, 21:25, 25:23) offered two remarkable achievements.
The fifth set (tie-break) ended 25:23 for Perugia. The total of 48 points equaled the highest achievement for a decisive, fifth set in the history of the SuperLega.
In the second set, Perugia crushed the hosts 25:7. The total of 32 points equaled the record for the lowest total number of points in a single set, set in the 2008/2009 season.
Leaders in Serie A2 after the first round
Top scorers:Klemen Šen (Reggio Calabria) – 32 points, Rusi Zhelev (Reggio Emilia) – 29 according to the official protocol, Marten Chevalier (Reggio Emilia) – 25, Oleksandr Boyko (Reggio Calabria) – 23, Riccardo Mian (Reggio Emilia) – 21.
Most attack points:Klemen Šen – 25.
Most aces:Klemen Šen, Felice Sette (Gioia del Colle) and Manuele Lucconi (Brescia) – 4 each.
Most successful blocks:Alessandro Tondo (Fano) – 7.
Top scorer middle blocker:Alessandro Tondo – 17 points.
Top scorer setter:Filippo Mancini (Grottazzolina) – 4 points.
In addition to the record duration of the Reggio Emilia – Belluno match, the opening round also brought other personal achievements. Felice Sette reached 1500 successful attacks in Serie A2, Nicola Cianciotta and Martins Arasomwan surpassed the 1000-point mark, and Marco Pierotti exceeded 200 aces in the division.
Zhelev's strong performance placed him immediately after the leader Klemen Šen. However, the Bulgarian was one of the key participants in the longest match in the history of Serie A2.
Serie A3: 42 points and a historical achievement
The most impressive individual achievement in Serie A3 was by Andrea Schiro, who scored 42 points for Sarlux Sarroch against Ciriè in the first round of Group "White". The result equaled the second-best individual performance in the history of the regular season in the division and became a personal record for the player. Interestingly, Sarroch is the former team of the Bulgarian opposite Hristiyan Dimitrov, who scored 338 points for the Sardinian club in the 2024/2025 season before moving to Consar Ravenna. Thus, at the very start of the new championship, the Bulgarian's former team once again entered the statistical chronicles of Italian volleyball.
In the same division, Daniele Carpita reached 100 matches, and Marco Spagnol recorded his hundredth successful block.
In Group "Blue", where Kaloyan Valchinov's Campobasso plays, Williams Padura Diaz reached 1000 successful attacks in Serie A3. Simone Marzola, on the other hand, surpassed the 1000-point mark with the Altotevere team.
Temporary standings after the first round
SuperLega:Cisterna, Piacenza, Trento, Lube, and Prata di Pordenone started with 3 points each. Perugia has 2, and Cuneo – 1 point. The other six teams have no points.
Serie A2:Porto Viro, Napoli, Lagonegro, Grottazzolina, and Fano are leading with 3 points each. Reggio Calabria and Reggio Emilia started with 2 points each after their five-set victories, while Belluno and Pineto took one each.
Serie A3:In Group "Blue", Kaloyan Valchinov's Campobasso also started with 3 points thanks to their victory over Taviano.
Although only one round has passed, the Bulgarian presence is already standing out in the individual rankings. Aleksandar Nikolov leads in aces, Simeon Nikolov is the most effective setter in the elite, and Rusi Zhelev is among the leading scorers in Serie A2. These are the first indicators of our volleyball players' performance in the new season.
collage of photos by: Nikolay Varadinov and legavolley.it
