CSKA started the new season in WINBET Super Volley with a clean victory, after winning the Sofia derby against Slavia with 3:0 (25:22, 25:14, 25:14) in the "Panayot Pondalov" hall.
The head coach of the "reds" Alexander Popov gave a rest to two of his key players - the middle blocker Teodor Todorov and the setter Konstantin Mitev.
National player Dimitar Dimitrov appeared on the court at the end of the first game, when he came in to serve and ended the set with a direct point. The opposite player played the third set and finished the match with 8 points, 6 of which were in attack and 2 aces.
The most effective player for the winners was Stoyko Nenchev with 10 points, and Stanislav Kulagin also added 8.

The youngest team in the elite managed to resist CSKA only in the first game. Severin Dimitrov's trainees even led with 21:20 in its final phase, but failed to maintain their lead. In the next two parts, the superiority of the guests was categorical, with Slavia remaining at 14 points in both games.
The positive news for the "whites" was the return to play of former youth national player Apostol Boyanov. The receiver missed the pre-season tournaments due to health problems, but participated in the first official match and became Slavia's most effective player with 9 points.

CSKA had an advantage in serving with 6 aces against 2 for the hosts, as well as a higher success rate in attack - 47% against 40%.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov