National player Vladimir Garkov played an exceptionally strong match in the Italian Serie A2, scoring 25 points in Gioia del Colle's dramatic 3:2 (35:37, 25:23, 25:20, 20:25, 23:21) away victory against Reggio Calabria in a fourth-round match.
The match in "PalaCalafiore" hall lasted a full 170 minutes, offering two exceptional sets. The first ended 37:35 for the hosts, and the tie-break turned into a real thriller, won by the guests with 23:21.
Garkov started as a starter and played in all five sets, becoming the second highest-scoring volleyball player for his team. The Bulgarian outside hitter scored 25 points - 22 from attack, 2 aces, and one successful block.
In attack, he finished 22 out of 43 balls for 51% success rate. In reception, he handled 30 balls, registering 53% positive and 27% excellent reception, committing only one direct error.
The other Bulgarian national player in the Gioia del Colle squad - middle blocker Boris Nachev - also contributed to the success. He finished with 6 points, of which 4 were from attack with 57% success rate and 2 aces.
Interestingly,all four aces for Gioia del Colle in the match were scored by the two Bulgarians.

The top scorer for the winners was the experienced Giulio Sabbi with 27 points, followed by Garkov with 25 and Felice Sette with 17. Garkov was named MVP of the match.

For the hosts, Oleksandr Boyko was above all with 30 points, while Klemen Šen added 23.
After losing the first set, the visitors showed character and turned the score around to 2:1. However, Reggio Calabria equalized and sent the match into a tie-break, which became the most dramatic part of the encounter.
In the decisive set, the two teams went far beyond the usual 15 points before Gioia del Colle snatched the victory with 23:21.
Statistics show a minimal advantage for the visitors in attack - 76 against 74 points, as well as in blocking - 12 against 11 successful blocks. Both teams finished with 4 aces each.
This is Gioia del Colle's second consecutive victory after their 3:1 success over Belluno in the previous round. The team now has two wins from four matches, and Vladimir Garkov's strong performance and Boris Nachev's contribution proved crucial for the valuable away victory in Calabria.

photos:legavolley.it