Levski (Sofia) lost to the Dutch team Apollo 8 with a score of 0:3 (18:25, 17:25, 8:25) in the first leg of the 1/32 finals of the Women's Challenger Cup. The match in Borne lasted only 66 minutes, and statistics revealed serious problems in the Bulgarian team's play. The biggest difficulties for the "Blues" were in reception. The hosts scored 10 aces, while Levski finished with only 25% positive reception and not a single excellent one. The Bulgarian team also made 10 direct errors in handling the serve.
Apollo 8 also had a significant advantage in blocking – 10:3, as well as in attack, where they achieved 48% success rate against 34% for the Sofia team.
The Dutch team set the pace early on and took an 8:2 lead in the first set. Levski failed to catch up and lost 18:25. In the second part, the Bulgarian team offered more serious resistance, but the hosts again achieved success – 25:17.
The real collapse occurred in the third set when Apollo 8 took a 16:5 lead. By the end, the "Blues" scored only three more points and finished the match with just eight points in the last set.
Yoana Montero Alcantara was the top scorer for Levski with 12 points, followed by Elena Kolarova with 5 and Gabriela Zhekova with 3. For the winners, Rosemarijn Groters distinguished herself with 19 points.
The return leg will be played in a week in Sofia. To advance, Levski must win the second match, regardless of the score, and then the golden set.