The Bulgarian national team recorded an impressive third consecutive victory at the U19 Men's Volleyball World Championship, defeating Japan 3:1 (25:23, 27:25, 20:25, 25:16) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This success, combined with France's surprising 2:3 loss to China, propelled our team to the top of Group B standings, with a real chance to qualify for the knockout phase even before the last two matches against Canada and France.

🏐 Match Chronology

• First set (25:23): The Bulgarians started confidently, dominating in blocks (3:1) and serves, where Japan failed to score a single direct point. Jasmin Velichkov shone with 8 points in the set, and the set ended after an error by the Japanese.

• Second set (27:25): Contested and dramatic, it began with a series of errors from Japan. After 13:13, the game went point for point, with the Japanese being the first to reach set point. However, the Bulgarians showed character, saved the second set point, and Velichkov closed the set with a block-out.

• Third set (20:25): The only lost set for the Bulgarian team. Japan started strong with 5:0 and 9:5, and our team couldn't reverse the tempo despite attempts by the coaching staff with substitutions. The game ended after an inaccurate serve by Velichkov.

• Fourth set (25:16): Bulgaria delivered a decisive blow with a powerful 8:0 run at the start. The pressure on the Japanese paid off, as they began to make systematic errors. In attack, in addition to the omnipresent Velichkov, Nikolaev, Marinov, and Konstantinov distinguished themselves, with the latter — wearing the iconic №17, symbolically reminiscent of the legend Plamen Konstantinov, as he is the nephew of the former national team captain — closing the set and match with a powerful second attack.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  📊Key Team Statistics
  

  Element	Bulgaria	Japan
  Attacks	54	56
  Blocks	7	6
  Service points	7	0
  Points from opponent errors	27	26
  Total points won	95	88

  
  Bulgaria dominated the serve with 7 direct points, while Japan did not record any. Blocking was also slightly in our favor (7:6). Although the Japanese had slightly more successful attacks (56:54), Bulgaria benefited more from opponent errors and played more effectively in key moments.
  
  🛡️Technical Team Skills (defense, reception, setting)
  

  Element	Bulgaria	Japan
  Digs	70	73
  Reception	76	81
  Set distributions	112	125

  
  Japan demonstrated stability in defense and reception with more saved balls and accurate first touches. However, greater activity in set distribution (125 versus 112) did not lead to an advantage in the final score, as the Bulgarian team was more effective in finishing actions. The very good performance in reception and defense by libero Daniel Tiholov is worth noting.
  

  
  

  
  
  Individual performances:

  • Zhasmin Velichkov (No. 3) - again a leader with21 points (3 blocks, 1 ace), extremely effective in key moments.
    
    

    
    

  • Nikolay Nikolaev (No. 2) - strong contribution with16 points (2 blocks, 3 aces), stable throughout the match.
    

    
    

  • Masaedi (No. 1) for Japan also finished with20 points, whileMaeda (No. 4) contributed another 16.
    
    Individual statistics of the Bulgarian players:
    

    No.	Player	Position	Total Points	Attack	Block	Serve	Efficiency (%)
    3	Velichkov	Outside Hitter (OH)	21	17	3	1	10.61
    2	Nikolaev	Middle Blocker (MB)	16	11	2	3	10.00
    17	Konstantinov	Outside Hitter (OH)	12	12	0	0	4.08
    7	Marinov	Opposite (O)	10	9	0	1	-7.14
    22	Totkov	Middle Blocker (MB)	5	4	0	1	6.90
    9	Uzunov	Setter (S)	2	1	0	1	-20.83
    19	Manolev	Outside Hitter (OH)	2	1	1	0	0.00
    21	Mihovski	Middle Blocker (MB)	1	0	1	0	0.00
    99	Peychinov	Opposite (O)	1	1	0	0	50.00
    14	Tiholov	Libero (L)	0	0	0	0
    20	Petkov	Setter (S)	0	0	0	0	0.00
    33	Marinski	Opposite (O)	0	0	0	0

    
    

  ✅ Summary:

  The Bulgarian U19 team showed maturity, character, and tactical resilience. Strong serves, stable blocking, and the individual class of Velichkov and co. led the team to a crucial victory. With upcoming matches against Canada and France,the national team is already halfway to the playoffs.