Volleyball players of CSKA recorded their second convincing victory in the 'Boris Gyuderov' Memorial Tournament in Pernik and took a huge step towards winning the trophy. The 'Reds' decisively defeated Minyor as guests with a 0:3 (11:25, 16:25, 22:25) score, demonstrating a significant class difference and confidence in their play.
From the very first whistle, the capital's team set the pace and left no doubt as to who the favorite in the match was. In the first two sets, Alexander Popov's players dictated the events in all elements – from the serve and block to the attack and defensive saves. Minyor struggled to organize its attacks and failed to put up any resistance.
In the third set, head coach Sasho Popov gave all players a chance to play, which allowed the hosts to take a 16:11 lead. With this development, the coach brought back some of the starters, and CSKA gradually caught up. At 22:22, Todor Kostov stood at the end line and with a series of strong serves made it difficult for Minyor to receive. The 'Reds' scored three consecutive points and won the set and the match 3:0.
With this result, the 'Army men' recorded their second consecutive success, after making a spectacular comeback against eternal rivals Levski at the start – from 0:2 to 3:2 sets. Thus, CSKA now has two wins and 5 points.
The 'Blues' are in second place with one win, one loss, and 4 points, after defeating Montana 3:0 earlier today. The team from Northwestern Bulgaria, on the other hand, definitively lost its chances to defend the trophy, which was theirs in the last two editions of the tournament.
The last day's program offers two decisive clashes:
🕑 2:00 PM –CSKA – Montana
🕞 3:30 PM –Levski – Minyor
If the 'Reds' achieve another success, regardless of the result, they will triumph with the cup. Even with a 2:3 loss against Montana, the trophy could be decided by additional tie-breaking criteria if Levski wins its last match 3:0.
Photos: Nikolay Varadinov
