Deya Sport recorded their first victory of the new season in WINBET Super Volley, after defeating Pirin (Razlog) 3:0 (26:24, 25:20, 25:19) in the "Mladost" hall in Burgas. Tsvetan Sokolov was the top scorer for the hosts with 15 points.
The success came after two consecutive defeats at the start of the championship. In the first round, the Burgas team lost to their city rival Neftochimik, and in the second, they lost their away game to Levski 1:3, despite winning the first set.
For the first time since the start of the season, Deya Sport played with a full squad, after the two-match suspension of brothers Georgi and Valentin Bratoevi expired. The return of the two experienced volleyball players gave additional opportunities to the Burgas team, which finally managed to break the negative streak.
However, the match did not start easily for the hosts. Pirin led 8:6, 16:15, and 21:20 in the first set, but the Burgas team showed greater resilience in the decisive rallies and snatched the set 26:24.
In the second set, the guests again started better and took an 8:5 lead. Deya gradually found their rhythm, turned the score to 16:13, and increased their lead to 21:17, before closing the set at 25:20.
The scenario was repeated in the third set. Pirin again had an 8:5 lead, but the hosts took the initiative and led 16:13 and 21:16. The final 25:19 secured Deya's first success of the season after 83 minutes of play.
Tsvetan Sokolov finished with 15 points, of which 14 were from attack with 47% efficiency and one block. Captain Valentin Bratoev added 12 points, including 10 from attack, one ace, and one block.
Erik Stoev contributed 9 points and 3 aces, and Konstantin Dinov was extremely effective in attack – 5 successful attacks from 6 attempts (83%). The middle blocker finished with 8 points, including 3 blocks.
Georgi Bratoev also contributed to the victory with 5 points – 3 from attack, one ace, and one block.
For Pirin, Ivan Tasev was the top scorer with 10 points, followed by Erik Georgiev with 8. Pavel Dushkov and Viktor Tomov added 6 each.
Deya had a noticeable advantage in blocking – 11 points against 5, as well as in serving – 6 aces against 2. The Burgas team was also more effective in attack with 44% efficiency against 35% for their opponent.
It is interesting that Pirin started with a lead in all three sets, but failed to win any of them. The hosts demonstrated better play in the decisive moments and deservedly achieved their first victory in the championship.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
