Hristina Vuchkova played a strong match for Tulitsa (Tula), who dramatically won their away game against Omichka (Omsk) with 3:2 (25:20, 17:25, 25:22, 21:25, 15:13) in a fifth-round match of the Russian Women's Super League.
The experienced middle blocker finished with 16 points, impressing with 5 successful blocks. In attack, Vuchkova scored 11 points from 19 attempts, which means a 58% success rate. The Bulgarian was among the top scorers for the winners.
The match offered serious drama and numerous comebacks. Tulitsa won the first set, in whose final part Vuchkova made an important contribution, but the hosts responded with a strong start to the second, taking a 7:0 lead. The visitors again took the lead after the third set, before Omichka sent the match into a tie-break.
In the decisive fifth set, Tulitsa led 12:9, but the hosts managed to equalize. Ultimately, Vuchkova's team showed greater concentration in the final rallies and achieved a 15:13 victory.
The top scorer for Tulitsa was Valeria Turchina with 22 points, while Alexandra Mamedova added 16. For Omichka, Maria Gvozdenko stood out with 25 points and Vladislava Korzhova with 20.
Interestingly, another Bulgarian national player is now in the host team – Emileta Racheva, who transferred to Omichka at the end of October. However, the outside hitter was not included in the squad for the match and is still awaiting her debut in the Russian championship with her new team.
Omichka announced Racheva's signing on October 25, stating that the player was due for a medical examination and the processing of registration documents. The club has not yet given an official reason for her absence against Tulitsa.
After the fifth round, Tulitsa has two wins and three losses, while Omichka continues to search for its first success of the season.