Bulgarian Cup winner Neftochimic 2010 started the new WINBET Super Volley season with a victory, but had to put in serious effort to overcome city rival Dea Sport with a 3:1 (25:22, 21:25, 25:19, 25:23) win. The match in the half-empty "Mladost" hall in Burgas offered intrigue until the final rallies, and the symbolic hosts can regret missing the opportunity to force a tie-break.
The big news from the match was Tsvetan Sokolov's debut in the Bulgarian championship after a 17-year absence due to his long career abroad. Despite initial reports that he would not play due to incomplete recovery from injury, the former national team captain started as a regular and remained on the court for all four sets. Moreover, the 206-centimeter tall volleyball player had to perform the unfamiliar role of a receiver. The reason was the absence of three foreign key players for Dea, whose international transfer documents were delayed. Thus, Sokolov was burdened not only with the main responsibility in attack as a nominal opposite hitter but also with participating in reception.
Despite the unusual situation, he finished as the top scorer in the match with 25 points, of which 22 were from attack, 2 from block, and 1 directly from serve. Sokolov converted 47% of his attacks, and from 13 receptions, he recorded 31% positive reception.
Dea's personnel problems were not limited to the absence of foreign additions. Georgi and Valentin Bratoevi also could not participate, as they are serving their two-match suspensions, confirmed by the Appeals Committee of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation.

Nevertheless, the symbolic hosts put up serious resistance. Neftochimic snatched the first set with 25:22, but Dea responded with 25:21 in the second and leveled the score. In the third part, the guests again took the initiative and after 25:19, they were one set away from victory.
The most dramatic moments were reserved for the fourth set. Dea had a 22:18 lead and seemed close to a tie-break, but failed to maintain their advantage.
At the decisive moment, Dimitar Vasilev stood at the service line for Neftochimic. His serves made it extremely difficult for the opponent's reception and allowed the guests to organize the comeback. Instead of a fifth set, Neftochimic won 25:23.
Vasilev himself was chosen as the most valuable player of the match. He finished with 15 points, including 12 from attack, 2 from block, and 1 ace, but his most important contribution came at the end of the match.

For the winners, Stoyan Dimitrov was the top scorer with 19 points, and Stefan Skakic added 10. For Dea, besides Sokolov, the son of former Bulgarian national coach Mardin Stoev - Erik Stoev - also performed strongly with 17 points, while Viktor Bodurov recorded an impressive 9 successful blocks and a total of 12 points.
Statistics showed Dea's advantage in blocking – 16 against 7 points, but Neftochimic compensated with more effective serving and more stable reception. The guests scored 6 aces against 3 and made only 10 service errors against 19 for the opponent.
Thus, Neftochimic started the season with three points, while Dea was left with the disappointment of a missed chance for a tie-break. However, the performance of the symbolic hosts showed that even with such serious personnel problems, the team has the potential to challenge the leading rivals in the championship.

photos:nvl.bg