Barely 21 years old, Veni Antov is already among the most discussed names in French volleyball. The Bulgarian opposite hitter attracted the focus of foreign media after his achievement was noted in France – a record-breaking45 pointsin Tourcoing's away victory against Chaumont. Local publications described it as an "historic performance," and the club published an extensive article titled"Venislav Antov enters history!"- an unambiguous message that the Bulgarian is now part of French volleyball annals.
The record that shook the French MSL
In the aforementioned away game, Antov literally "carried the team on his back" – he attacked 66 times, scoring 44 points from those, and added one block for a total of45 points. His efficiency –67% in attack, and only 5 direct errors – turned the match into an example of individual dominance unseen in France.
Thus, the Bulgarian becamethe highest-scoring volleyball player in a single match in the history of the French championship.
Antov is now third among scorers
The phenomenal match in Chaumont propelled Antov among the league's top scorers after eight rounds.
| Position | Name | Points | Attack success rate | Points of the set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dawid Dulski (Poland) | 192 | 53% | 5.65 |
| 2 | Nik Mujanovic (Slovenia) | 172 | 55% | 5.93 |
| 3 | Venislav Antov (Bulgaria) | 161 | 55% | 5.37 |
Antov has positioned himself in the prestigious top three thanks to his high efficiency, and statistics show that he is already among the most stable and consistent opposite hitters in the league. The Pole and the Slovenian lead in total points, but the Bulgarian demonstrates pace and potential, suggesting he can attack first place with his continuing form.
Italian media also covered the record
Antov's phenomenal performance did not go unnoticed outside of France. The Italianivolleymagazine.ithighlighted that the Bulgarian opposite hitter – "one of the world's vice-champions, born in 2004" – recorded 45 points (44 in attack with 67%) in the won match against3:2match against Chaumont, having broken the league's record for this season. The publication recalls that the previous record also belonged to him – 26 points in the first round against Nice.
Polish media: another impressive episode
Even before his transfer to France, Antov had already been in the spotlight. Last season, Polish media paid serious attention to his performance with the Levski team in the Champions League group stage. The strongest reviews came after the match against Jastrzębski, which 'the Blues' lost by2:3 sets, but the young opposite hitter had an exceptionally strong individual match, which impressed analysts in Poland.
With the record in France, international attention, and games at the highest level already as a player for Levski, Veni Antov is definitively establishing himself as one of the fastest-rising opposite hitters in European volleyball. His form in France shows that this is just the beginning.
