Five Bulgarian volleyball players participated in four matches of the American university championship NCAA on the night of November 6-7. Viktoria Ninova impressed with 32 digs, Maria-Gabriela Milicevic was the top scorer for Binghamton, Denitsa Angelova helped Miami to a prestigious victory over Stanford, and Vyara Parapunova and Viktoria Dimitrova also celebrated successes.
The most impressive defensive achievement was byViktoria Ninova, who played a strong match for Cincinnati in a dramatic 2:3 (19:25,22:25,25:17,25:17,10:15) away loss to Kansas State. The Bulgarian libero finished with 32 digs, 3 aces, and 2 assists.
Cincinnati managed to erase a two-set deficit and send the match to a tie-break, but the hosts prevailed 15:10. Despite the defeat, Ninova was among the brightest figures on the court.
Maria-Gabriela Milicevic andViktoria Dimitrova made a significant contribution to Binghamton's 3:0 (25:22,25:19,25:23) away victory over Albany.
Milicevic, wearing jersey number 24, was the top scorer for the winners with 12 points, and also added 16 digs. This was her sixth double-double of the season and fourth in the last five matches.
Behind the Milicevic surname stands a sports family well-known to Bulgarian volleyball. Maggy is the daughter of former Bulgarian national player and captain of Maritsa (Plovdiv) Radosveta Teneva and former Serbian professional basketball player Mirko Milicevic. Her grandmother Tsetsa Teneva is also closely associated with volleyball as a long-time coach in the Maritsa academy.
Maria-Gabriela went through the Plovdiv club's academy before continuing her development in the USA. Initially, she played for Florida Southwestern, and this season she is defending the colors of Binghamton. Thus, the Bulgarian volleyball tradition in the family continues across the Atlantic.
Her compatriot Viktoria Dimitrova, who plays with number 12, also participated in all three sets against Albany. She scored 7 points from attack from 29 attempts, and also participated in one successful block.
The victory also had significant tournament value. With it, Binghamton secured participation in the America East conference championship for the fifth consecutive season.
Denitsa Angelova also had reason for satisfaction. Her Miami team achieved a prestigious success over Stanford, who was ranked 23rd in the national rankings, with a 3:2 (22:25,26:24,25:20,22:25,16:14) victory.
The Bulgarian participated in 5 successful blocks and distinguished herself with important interventions in attack. The match offered exceptional drama after Stanford reached match point at 14:13 in the decisive fifth set. However, Miami won the next three rallies and snatched the victory 16:14.
Vyara Parapunova also had a successful evening with Coastal Carolina. Her team defeated Troy 3:1 (25:12,25:17,22:25,26:24), and the Bulgarian scored 15 points from attack and serve – 12 successful attacks and 3 aces. She also participated in one successful block, adding 8 digs.
The fourth set was particularly dramatic, with Coastal Carolina trailing 17:23, but managing to make an impressive comeback and win 26:24. Thus, Parapunova's team avoided a tie-break and achieved overall success.
The balance from the four matches is three wins and one loss for the teams with Bulgarian participation. Viktoria Ninova distinguished herself with impressive defensive stats, Maggy Milicevic was the leader of Binghamton, and Denitsa Angelova participated in one of the most prestigious victories of the evening. Vyara Parapunova and Viktoria Dimitrova completed the successful Bulgarian performance in the American university championship.