Bulgarian national team player Lora Slavcheva and Kristina Yordanova continue their winning streak in the Hungarian Extraliga. Their Ujpest (Budapest) defeated Kaposvar 3:1 (25:18, 20:25, 25:16, 25:19) in the fifth-round derby, played in the Hungarian capital.
Lora Slavcheva once again started as a setter and orchestrated the hosts' game, this time without scoring a point to her personal tally. Kristina Yordanova came on as a substitute and contributed 1 point to the victory.
Ujpest started the match more convincingly and won the first set 25:18, after Tamara Milijevic, Diana Akopova, and Melanie Ambrosio asserted their dominance in attack. However, the visitors reacted in the second part. After an even game until 16:17, Kaposvar took the initiative and leveled the score after 25:20.
The third set offered a serious battle, with the two teams exchanging the lead several times. After 18:14, the hosts increased their lead and closed the set with a decisive 25:16. In the fourth set, Ujpest again made the decisive move in the middle of the set, when a series of three consecutive points secured an advantage that the hosts maintained until the final 25:19.
The most effective player for the winners was the Serbian Tamara Milijevic with 23 points, while Diana Akopova added 22. Sara Cruz finished with 13 points, Melanie Ambrosio scored 12, and Eszter Szereni contributed 7.
For Kaposvar, the most effective player was the Brazilian De Oliveira with 17 points, while Lila Horvath and Rocha added 10 each. The defeat was the second for the visitors since the start of the season in six played matches.
The victory is Ujpest's fifth in a row in the championship and comes just three days after the successful return match against Swiss Kanti (Schaffhausen) in the European Challenge Cup. Then, the Bulgarians made a significant contribution to the 3:1 victory, with Lora Slavcheva scoring 5 points and being chosen as the most valuable player, and Kristina Yordanova adding 9.
Ujpest's next big test is an away game against champions Vasas Obuda on November 11. The match pits two of the leading teams in the league against each other and will be a serious test for the ambitions of Slavcheva, Yordanova, and their teammates.