Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov made an important contribution to Cucine Lube Civitanova's victory in their away match against Acqua Sant'Anna Cuneo in the Italian SuperLega.
In a third-round match, Giampaolo Medei's team won 3:1 (25:21, 21:25, 25:21, 25:22).
Aleksandar Nikolov was the top scorer for the winners with 20 points, including 16 from attack, 2 blocks, and 2 aces. The Bulgarian international once again played a leading role in Lube's offense.
His younger brother Simeon Nikolov added 5 points, including 3 aces and 2 successful attacks.

The hosts put up serious resistance, and after losing the first set, they managed to equalize the score. Lube took the lead again after 25:21 in the third set, and the fourth set offered a contested outcome, as at 23:20 for Lube, Nathan Feral made two aces for 23:22, but then he made a service error, and the visitors reached the final 25:22 after a block by Botolo. The video check only confirmed the final 3:1 for the volleyball players from Civitanova.
After the match, Aleksandar Nikolov admitted that the opponent had seriously challenged his team, especially with their strong serve.

"Yes, it was indeed a very contested match. In my opinion, Cuneo played very strongly. We managed to withstand their strengths, especially the serve of the opposite hitter Feral," commented the Bulgarian receiver.
Nikolov paid special attention to the tense fourth set, in which the hosts were close to bringing the intrigue back into the match.
"This was also evident in the last set, when they were about to turn the tide of the match. But we stayed in the game, maintained our effectiveness in attack after reception, and managed to cope. That's why I'm happy," added Alex.
Besides Aleksandar Nikolov, Erik Loeppky with 15 points, Mattia Bottolo with 11, and Gianmaria Gargiulo with 10 also finished with double-digit scores for Lube.
For Cuneo, Nathan Feral was the top scorer with 22 points, including 6 aces. Former Lube player Porya Yali added 14.

Statistics show that Lube's main advantage was in attack - 55 points from attack against 43 for Cuneo. The hosts had more aces (10 against 7), while both teams finished with 7 successful blocks each.
The third set was particularly indicative, in which Lube scored 17 points from attack against 10 for the opponent, laying the foundation for the final success.

photos:legavolley.it