Bulgaria's national opposite hitter Mikaela Stoyanova is taking a big step towards the elite of European volleyball – she is now playing in the Italian Serie A, combining the fight for playing time with accelerated growth at the highest level. In a conversation on VOLLEYCAST, she speaks openly about her psyche, the fear of making mistakes, the competition in Italy, the training camps with the national team, and the path from a late start to the national jersey.
She admits that for a long time she was a "slave" to her own mistakes and overthinking on the court.
She says that she consciously accepted the role of a second opposite hitter in Italy – to learn from a more experienced teammate and build a resilient mindset at that level.
She sees huge potential in the current generation of the Bulgarian national team – especially in the girls who became world and European champions in the junior categories.
She describes how grueling the summer is with the national team: life by the clock, one day off every two weeks, and almost no time for a "side life."
She emphasizes the importance of Levski, Vlado Nikolov, and coaches Shopov and Arsov for her accelerated development.
According to her, being left-handed and her height are a huge weapon – as long as she learns to use them correctly.
She admits that she didn't train volleyball at all until she was 14 – she was afraid of becoming "too tall" and not finding a husband.
"There, I made a mistake now... now we'll lose because of me."
One of the most powerful lines in the conversation is Mikaela's revelation about her mental battles on the court. She admits that for a long time, every mistake turned into an avalanche in her head:
"There, I made a mistake now. But they won't set to me. Now we'll lose because of me... I constantly think about it – both in matches and in practice."
She says that this overthinking held her back – instead of thinking about the next ball, she remained fixated on the previous mistake. At Levski, this became a central topic between her and coach Rado Arsov:
"Some of the most common words were: 'Next one. Calm down, don't think about it.' They knew very well that if I started thinking about the mistake, my practice would fall apart."
She had entire periods of a month where she would "sink" – mentally she was at rock bottom, physically she started to weaken, and nothing would go right. It was in these moments that the coaches' support was crucial:
"When I heard 'We are here for you, play bravely,' it gave me tremendous strength. If it weren't for the coaches, I wouldn't be who I am – neither mentally nor technically."
From Levski to Italy: consciously "entering the fire"
Stoyanova does not hide that many people advised her not to rush the transfer to Italy – to stay another year or two at Levski as the primary opposite hitter and accumulate playing time. However, she chose the harder path:
"I knew very well that I was coming here to be a second opposite hitter. That I had to earn my place, give my maximum, and not have everything handed to me."
The reason is simple – the level in Italy is different:
Players can do - everyone masters every element at least at a decent level.
The technique and speed of play are much higherthan those in Bulgaria.
The competition is ruthless– the league includes some of the best opposite hitters in the world.
Her primary opposite hitter at the club is an Albanian with over 20 years of experience in the game and more than a decade in Italy:
"She is a great opposite hitter. She continues to improve, even though she is 30. For me, she is huge competition. I am taller and left-handed, but that doesn't matter at all if I don't learn to use these qualities."
Although she knows she will play less, Mikaela sees this season as an investment:
"This year is about moving upwards - to grow mentally and technically. In Italy, if you don't have the right mindset, they will eat you alive. I want to learn first, then be the primary opposite hitter."
Stoyanova describes the summer with the national team as extremely demanding:
morning practice,
lunch with the team,
afternoon practice,
dinner,
sleep.
"Everything is by the hour. You have breakfast, train, rest, then train again," she says. There are one or two days off, just enough to see family and friends - and then back to the hotel and the gym.
She also emphasizes the importance ofside hobbies:
It's not right to do the same thing all summer – train, eat, sleep. It's good to have a side hobby, so it's not just 'volleyball, volleyball, volleyball'. But with the busy summer we had, it was very difficult to do anything else.
For her personally, the biggest 'unwinding' is a conversation with a loved one, a walk in nature, or a day with friends.
'New' generation in the national team: 'We know each other, the coach doesn't'.
Mikaela is part of the generation that comes immediately after the great successes of the girls – world, European, Balkan titles for women under 19 and fourth place at the World Championship under 21.
This is one step up for Bulgaria – actually four. There is a lot of potential in these girls, in this team. With a lot of work and most importantly with teamwork – to be one – we can do something very good.
She also sees a positive in the fact that they've known each other since their junior teams:
We all know each other, we've played together. We know our strengths and weaknesses. I suppose the coach won't have anything to surprise us with... we know each other better.
According to her, the men's national team and its success at the World Championship are an additional motivation:
We supported them, watched every match, and cheered for them. There is healthy competition between men and women. We also want to make a big breakthrough, to reach the Olympics.
Levski – an accelerated course in professionalism
Her transition to real volleyball began at Levski. There she became part of a project clearly aiming for the top in women's volleyball – with facilities, fitness, recovery, and most importantly, a vision for development.
Right at the beginning, Vlado Nikolov asked her:Do you want to become a professional athlete – and are you ready to do what is required?
From then on, everything became very simple and very difficult at the same time:
trains with four different coaches at the club,
comes an hour early for individual work,
stays after practice for additional exercises,
goes through periods where she wants to quit.
There was no rest. With a lot of effort, a lot of sweat, many wrong attempts, things gradually came together. In Bulgaria, it was fast – I managed to become the first opposite in a short time. But here, the level is different.
She is adamant that without Levski, Rado Arsov, and before him Petar Shopov, she would not have reached Italy.
Late start, tall stature, and left-handed: "If I had a time machine..."
The interesting thing about Stoyanova is that sheonly started playing volleyball at 14 years old.Before that, she trained in hip-hop dancing for four years and was determined to become a dancer. Volleyball was reserved for physical education classes at school.
The reason she didn't enter the gym earlier was... fear:
"I was very afraid of becoming too tall. How would I find a husband if I was too tall...? If I had a time machine, I would go back to little Mika and slap her – to make her start earlier. At least three years earlier."
When she did eventually join Levski, they first tried to make her a middle blocker. The result was more than pathetic:
"I went in, tripped the setter, tripped one of the outside hitters, and they took me out. That's how I became an opposite."
She is a definite left-hander – she writes, eats, plays billiards and bowling with her left hand. And she is convinced that this is a huge weapon:
"Being a left-hander in the opposite position opens up the entire court. Especially if you jump – with a short ball, you can spike diagonally into the second meter. You can do whatever you want. And for the block, it's much harder to get used to a left-hander."
Language, culture shock, and life 15 minutes from the sea
Her Italian story isn't just about volleyball. Although she had studied Italian in Bulgaria and understood 60–70% of what the coach and teammates were saying, the first days were a classic "culture shock":
every city has a dialect,
they use different words than those in textbooks,
in the store, even with her first "Buongiorno," they mistook her for a local and started speaking to her "at full speed" in Italian.
"The first time they asked me if I wanted a bag in the store, I just stood there and stared at them. I walk in confidently, say 'Buongiorno,' and they decide I'm Italian..."
At the club, however, she was welcomed very well – from day one:
the team is international – Albanian, Romanian, a Spanish setter, a Croatian middle blocker;
everyone speaks perfect Italian;
they go out together after matches to integrate the foreign players.
A big bonus is also that she lives 15 minutes by car from the sea:
"On a day off, it's great to go to the sea, take a walk, read a book, be with friends and teammates. It's very relaxing, but unfortunately, we rarely have this opportunity because we are too tired and prefer to stay home and recover."
"I want to be number one - but I need patience"
Mikaela admits that the biggest battle right now is internal – between her great ambition and the reality of 5-6 years of experience in volleyball:
"I want to play at the highest level now, to be number one. But it doesn't happen like that. I know that with the technique and experience I have right now, I can't yet. But I want it – and that sometimes drives me crazy."
At the same time, she is aware that others around her have almost as many years of professional volleyball experience as she has lived:
"Some have been playing volleyball for 20 years, and I haven't even lived that long. But I believe that if I learn to use my height and my left hand, if I remain patient and continue to work, one day I will get there."
She already sees that the step towards Italy is the right one:
"I see progress – and that's the most important thing. Whatever happens with my role this season, this year makes me stronger."
The conversation on VOLLEYCAST shows Mikaela Stoyanova as few know her – simultaneously very ambitious and very self-critical, with a late but rapid ascent, with the clear understanding that the true peak comes through hardship: competition, the bench, patience, and the battles within her own mind.
And if she keeps her promise "not to rush, but not to stop," very soon we will be talking about her not as "the young opposite hitter in Italy," but as one of the leading figures in both club and the Bulgarian national team.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov,legavolleyfemminile.itand volleyballworld.com
