The first competitive week in the Volleyball Nations League for our men's national team is now history. In the Turkish resort of Antalya, our boys played 4 matches against the teams of France, Canada, USA, and the Netherlands. The matches were on May 21, 24, 25, and 26, respectively. In them, the volleyball players of head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini managed to win a valuable and prestigious victory over the Americans with 3:1 sets, but also suffered three losses – two with 3:0 and one with 3:1, against their other opponents on Turkish territory. Perhaps the best part of these first VNL matches were the debut performances of each of the called-up boys. Coach Blengini warned during our team's control matches against Estonia that the start would be difficult, but with a lot of hard work and perseverance in the hall, things would start to look really pleasant for our boys.

In the following lines, we will present each of the matches our volleyball players played in the first competitive tournament of the VNL, played in Turkey:

 1. Bulgaria – France 0:3 (21:25, 24:26, 14:25)

Our debut in this year's edition of the Nations League was against the team of France – one of the world's volleyball powers in the last 10 years. Since then, the Roosters have been our "black cat" in the tournaments where we meet. In the first two sets, the Bulgarian Lions resisted extremely successfully – especially in the second part, so as not to allow the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo, France, to feel calm. In the third set, the experienced and star-studded team of the Roosters deservedly won the part by a large margin, thus recording a clean victory at the start of the tournament. The mistakes in this match were many, which is completely normal for an extremely young and inexperienced team like ours currently is. France is a team that traditionally plays on all fronts, which was evident from the squad they participated with in Antalya. However, the positives from the match with the French became apparent in our next match.

2. Bulgaria – Canada 0:3 (22:25, 28:30, 24:26)

After our clash with the Maple Leafs, our team can definitely regret not taking at least a set, and why not the whole match. Our opponent was visibly more tired than us, having played a long and tough match the previous day against European champion Poland. Our boys, on the other hand, had 2 days of rest after the match with France, which gave excellent initial chances for a positive result in the match with Canada. Although we played a really valuable match – with very good play from everyone who participated, Canada managed to win the encounter cleanly due to the greater experience their players possess. Unfortunately, slight inaccuracies at the end of the sets deprived us of a deserved reward and points in this match, as according to the new ranking regulations, every single set is important. The minimal loss to Canada was accepted with bitterness by everyone in our team – both the players and the staff, led by Gianlorenzo Blengini. It is necessary to note that the Canadians have been a truly uncomfortable opponent for us in recent years – they often win their matches against us. But the most important thing from this match is the attitude and behavior of our team against an equally strong opponent.

3. Bulgaria – USA 3:1 (25:21, 25:20, 21:25, 25:21)

Our team played calmly against the volleyball players from the land of unlimited opportunities, who were in a rather experimental lineup – something typical for Americans in League tournaments. The main reason for the USA to be without its main elite volleyball players, at least in this first tournament, is that the team long ago secured participation in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. In this way, the Yankees have the freedom to rely on less proven players – the majority of whom are alumni of college volleyball in the country. Nevertheless, our team approached the opponent extremely seriously, showing this time greater determination at the end of the sets, to deservedly celebrate its first victory in the League this year. The victory was disputed by some fans in our country due to the Americans' formation, but this should not in any way diminish the game and the mood, which was clearly visible in our ranks. Every success, especially over an opponent like the USA, is prestigious and important for the growth of our team. The success is even more important due to the fact that the Americans are at the top of the ranking, which allowed Bulgaria to "steal" more points for its own active.

4. Bulgaria – Netherlands 1:3 (16:25, 25:20, 13:25, 20:25)

After seeing the first good match in terms of play and result, our team concluded its volleyball adventure in the Nations League in Antalya against the team of the Netherlands. The Tulips, who were once a world power in this sport, had played several marathon matches in the preceding days. We, on the other hand, already had some confidence from the previous match, which, however, did not show in the first set against the team from the "Low Countries." The Dutch won this set quite easily with a significant margin. In the second set, Bulgaria showed a completely different face and in turn equalized the score in the match – 1:1. The third set again exposed our weaknesses, stemming from inexperience, which allowed the Netherlands to win it by a huge margin. This development also affected the decisive fourth set of the match, although we reached the 20th point. More observant fans and statisticians noted our loss to the team from the "Low Countries" as the first against this opponent in over 21 years. In the world of modern volleyball, however, such statistics and traditions do not prevail.

The conclusions we would draw after reviewing the first four matches in the VNL are as follows:

Our team is only now showing signs of cohesion. The boys showed great desire and drive to play well on the world stage. This is the most essential factor for long-term success. We all hope they come as soon as possible, because we deserve it.

The extremely young boys, who make up a huge percentage of our squad, still have a lot of work to do on the youth-men's volleyball axis. The transition between the two stages is our biggest problem in the sport. With the right preparation and attitude, things will stabilize. Head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini made it clear that this cannot happen with a magic wand, and immense patience is required for this purpose. The Italian noted that he is satisfied with what was shown, but the true potential of our team is yet to be developed.

Blengini also stressed that "every match is important and his players must understand and know this," which caused surprise among some fans. Supporters are puzzled as to why this needs to be questioned at all, as it concerns men's volleyball and the most important tournaments, which provide a number of ranking privileges. Still, we accept that the coach is also learning on the go along with the team.

Our team was once again supported by prominent figures in the Federation, which is a testament to the full carte blanche given to the staff and the boys, to feel calm and secure in the situation.

For Bulgaria, Antalya was the first stop of this year's long volleyball summer. Our team currently occupies 13th position in the provisional League standings. Conclusions have been drawn, and it's time to turn our attention to the next tournament of the championship. It will be hosted by the Japanese city of Fukuoka. In the land of the rising sun, we will eagerly await the great qualities of our young volleyball players to shine against the teams of Poland, Germany, Iran, and Slovenia. The matches are on June 4, 6, 7, and 9, respectively, and each of them will be broadcast live on Max Sport channels.