The Bulgarian national women's U21 team continued its victorious march at the World Championship in Indonesia, eliminating Poland with a 3:1 (25:23, 22:25, 25:23, 25:18) win in the quarterfinals in Surabaya. Dragan Nesic's girls proved they believe in their own strength and silenced critics who predicted an early exit.
Thus, the women's sector of Bulgarian volleyball continues to shine – just weeks ago, the U19 girls became world champions.
Match Hero – Iva Dudova
Opposite hitter Iva Dudova made a real sensation, scoring a colossal33 points – despite the targeted attention and dense block of the Polish defenders. Haters never stopped 'DUD-ing' about Dudova not showing zeal, technical ingenuity, and will to win, but she disproved everyone, becoming a decisive factor for the success.
Match Statistics
| Team | Attack | Block | Serve | Opponent's Errors | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 56 | 14 | 7 | 20 | 97 |
| Poland | 53 | 11 | 3 | 22 | 89 |
Bulgaria excelled in attack (+3) and especially in block (+3), and the superiority in serving (7 aces vs. 3) tipped the scales. The Poles made fewer errors, but the Bulgarians managed to punish them effectively.
Play in Individual Elements
| Team | Defensive saves | Reception | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 82 | 82 | 135 |
| Poland | 109 | 82 | 149 |
Poland is more successful in defense (109 vs 82 saves), but the equality in reception and the more effective setting of the Bulgarians led to more successful attacks.
Top scorers
| Player | Points | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Iva Dudova (№13) | 33 | Bulgaria |
| Koeva (№10) | 14 | Bulgaria |
| Adamczyk (№16) | 19 | Poland |
| Hewelt (№18) | 19 | Poland |
| № | Family | Position | Total points | Attack | Block | Serve | Errors | Efficiency % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Dudova | Diagonal | 33 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 20.22 | |
| 10 | Koeva (c) | Receiver | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14.04 | |
| 17 | Kitipova | Receiver | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | |
| 3 | Nikolova | Middle blocker | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | -6.25 | |
| 4 | Radeva | Middle blocker | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4.76 | |
| 7 | Kolarova | Middle blocker | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -11.11 | |
| 12 | Dimitrova | Diagonal | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14.29 | |
| 1 | Boyanova | Setter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 5 | Borisova | Receiver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Gancheva | Setter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10.00 |
Dudova is the undisputed leader and engine of the Bulgarian attack, scoring almost one-third of all the team's points. Supported by Koeva's stable play, she became the key to the semi-final ticket. An additional interesting detail is the presence of the U19 world champion - Kitipova, who also contributed 8 points to the success.
This is Bulgaria's best ranking at a world championship in this age group for girls since 2009, when they finished 4th, statisticians remind us.
Bulgaria's semi-final will be tomorrow, awaiting the winner of the Turkey-Japan match.
