The Bulgarian U21 men's national team concluded its participation in the fight for top places at the World Championship in Jiangmen (China), after losing its round of 16 match to the USA with a score of 0:3 (19:25, 17:25, 20:25).

The Americans asserted their will from the very beginning and controlled the game in almost all elements. Only in the third set did our team manage to keep a closer distance, but errors in attack and hesitant reception again tipped the scales in favor of the opponent. After an ace by Delibozov, the distance in the third part was reduced to one point (20:21), but attacks by captain Kelly, an ace by Rosenthal, and two attacks out by Kandez and Delibozov sealed the final 3:0 for the Americans.

The USA clearly outperformed in blocking (11:2) and in attack (33:29). The Bulgarians had a slight advantage in reception (56 successful receptions against 41), but this was not enough to turn the tide of the match.

The coaching staff's attempt to change the dynamic by moving Delibozov from middle blocker to opposite spiker did not bring a turnaround, although he was the top scorer for the team with 8 points. For the Americans, Kelly (13 pts) and Christ (10 pts) shone.

After this loss, Bulgaria will compete for places from 9th to 16th, first facing Kazakhstan, with the best possible ranking remaining ninth.