The Bulgarian women's national U21 team returned from the World Championship in Indonesia, where they achieved a prestigious fourth place. The team was greeted at 'Vasil Levski' airport in Sofia by media and relatives, and emotions upon their return were strong.
A curious moment was the absence of head coach Dragan Nesic, who did not arrive in Sofia as he went directly to Greece, where he begins preparations for the new season with GS Panionios. The captain of the women's national team, Elitsa Atanasijevic, will also be there.
Meanwhile, the top scorer of the World Championship - Iva Dudova - could not make a statement at the airport, as her strong emotions prevented her from addressing the media.
Victoria Koeva: "We could have dreamed of a medal too"
The team captain, Victoria Koeva, shared that after a difficult start in the group stage, no one expected them to reach the final four:
"Given the difficult start in the groups, we didn't expect at all that we could reach the final four. Surely, the fact that we play in the women's championship and that some of us have already been in the women's national team contributes to the level of our age group. We showed growth throughout the matches and could have dreamed of a medal. I regret the match with Brazil the most, and not so much the semi-final with Japan."
Koeva emphasized thatall 12 players contributedto the good performance and that an important transition to the women's national team is now ahead:
"I hope more of us get a chance and I believe the best is yet to come."
Margarita Guncheva: "It could have been an even better finish"
Setter Margarita Guncheva also spoke to the media. She expressed satisfaction, but also a slight bitterness about the missed bronze:
"Yes, this is a very good finish for this team, but it could have been even better if we had taken the bronze medal. Nevertheless, we are satisfied with our performance - we achieved a very good ranking, for which we worked hard all summer."
Guncheva, who has already participated in theVolleyball Nations League (VNL)for women, will likely have to undergo intensive rehabilitation due to pain, but remains optimistic for the future. She was greeted by her father - the legend Stoyan Gunchev.
The team's return highlights the immense potential of this generation. Fourth place is Bulgaria's best ranking in the U21 girls' category in recent years and is a promising sign for the future of the women's national team. Although without a medal, the squad showed character, growth, and collective strength, and the public here will surely expect new strong performances from these players, now in women's volleyball.
Iva Dudova - the great discovery and top scorer of the World Championship - remains a symbol of this generation, and the words of Koeva and Guncheva are the best proof that the next page is yet to be written.
This was also the last major championship for this squad, as some of them will move on to the women's national team from now on.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
