The legend of Bulgarian women's volleyball, Antonina Zetova, added another award to her resume. For the first time, she received the "Best Coach of the Month" award in Bulgaria. The coach of the national team for women under 18 was honored in the poll of Press Club "Bulgaria" for July, after her team won a historic European title. Zetova received her award today and answered questions from the media.

 Now that the emotions have subsided, where do you look next? What is the next big goal you will strive for?

Thank you very much for the recognition for me and the team, and in such strong competition. We are indeed very happy with the result we achieved. Not only because of the result itself, but because of the joy we brought to Bulgaria. I think that for a very long time we have not experienced such strong emotions and such great joy and adrenaline. We need these emotions for the volleyball movement as a whole.

This is a title that is very important for all of us. But it remains in the past. We are already looking forward. The club championships – women and seniors – are next, where this period is very important for how each of the girls will interpret it. I want the girls to be motivated and to know that they need to develop. We saw at the European Championship for girls under 18, and now under 20, that the level is changing and we must keep pace with the other teams, because a very tough World Championship awaits us next year, where for the first time we will meet teams from Asia and America. Teams we don't know, but we know they traditionally play good volleyball. I hope that next year, when we gather for preparation, we will have the same motivation and hunger we had at this European Championship.

Will all the girls remain in the team next year, or will others join them?

You know that the national team is a dynamic process. There is no reserved spot there. Everything depends on how the girls will perform during the season, how much they will grow, and how they will build upon their current level. I assume that the core will remain the same.

We cannot vary so much in time. It depends on when the World Championship will be played. We always take this into account – when the date of the championship is. But I assume that, just like this year, we lacked nothing in terms of control matches and preparation. We cannot complain about the conditions and preparation that the federation provided us. We had three control matches with Italy and three control matches with Spain. Everything depends very much on when the championship ends and when the World Championship takes place. We cannot vary much in time. I assume that, just like this year. We lacked nothing in terms of the preparatory process and control matches.

 Some of the girls participated in the women's championship last year, and you are also a coach in one of the teams from the National DEMAX+ league. Did this help the girls' growth in 1 year and you as a national coach?

For me, it is very important that they play in women's teams. First, because volleyball there is much more dynamic, fewer mistakes need to be made, and there are much higher quality matches. What I discussed with the federation when they offered me to take over the team, which was eighth at the European Championship last year, and as I observed their play, it was important for me to make the transition from junior to women's volleyball. This was the basis of the preparation. The girls trained like women, there are requirements as for women. I believe that the system of play we implemented was also very close to women's volleyball. I can even say that we played the most "women's volleyball" of all the other teams at the European Championship. When I say "women's volleyball," it means having distribution in attack, we played a lot through the center, we used our centers a lot, we played fast at both ends of the net. These are things that are observed more in women's volleyball. This transition, which surprisingly, even to my surprise, happened naturally, because we already had girls who played in women's teams and had experience. It really helped us organize this style of play.

 In this vein, what would you wish for the new season? What would you wish for the coaches and the girls?

I am very happy because all the girls who are here, they are already in the women's teams in their own clubs. With the entry of CPVK into the Demax League, girls like Kalina Veneva, Stefani Dyankova, Denitsa Angelova, will have much more experience and will play high-level matches, which will be very useful for their growth. All the girls, with very few exceptions, for example the girls from Maritsa who will not take part in the women's team, will now have this experience and this will then be a big plus for the national team.

How was the selection for the national team made and was there any outside interference?

No one can tell me who to take on the team and who not to.

 What examples are you giving the girls?

For me, all girls are under one denominator. There are leaders for whom there are higher expectations, but overall, when it comes to dedication during training or overcoming difficulties, everyone is together.