Bulgarian champion Levski Sofia opened its European campaign in the CEV Cup with a home defeat to German powerhouse Friedrichshafen. The match in the capital's "Levski Sofia" hall was watched by national team coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, who was monitoring the performance of leading Bulgarian players.
The "Blues" started strong, but the German team used its greater experience and prevailed in the key rallies.
Friedrichshafen won by3:0 (27:25, 25:21, 25:21). The rematch is onJanuary 7in Germany.
First set – 25:27 for Friedrichshafen
Levski started excellently with a series of aces by Todor Skrimov and took a 4:0 lead, but the guests gradually caught up and equalized at 11:11. Until the end of the set, the game was point for point, and the "Blues" missed their set point at 24:22. Two consecutive attacks by Parker Van Buren tipped the scales and the German team closed the part with 27:25.
Second set – 21:25 for Friedrichshafen
In the beginning, Levski again managed to dictate the tempo, but a series of blocks by Friedrichshafen changed the course of the set at 14:16. The German team controlled the rhythm through stable serves and precise attacks through the middle. Levski tried rotations and substitutions, but failed to close the gap and the guests took the set with 25:21.
Third set – 21:25 for Friedrichshafen
Nikolay Zhelyazkov made changes to the lineup, which gave an initial impetus and Levski took a 5:1 lead. Friedrichshafen, however, gradually stabilized their reception and imposed control over the tempo. In an evenly matched middle part, the Germans used more effective pipe play and closed the set with 25:21, thereby winning the match 3:0.
Match statistics
| Statistics | Levski Sofia | Friedrichshafen |
|---|---|---|
| Successful attacks | 35 | 35 |
| Blocks | 3 | 12 |
| Aces | 5 | 3 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 23 | 26 |
| Total points | 66 | 76 |
The main difference in the match came from blocking – Friedrichshafen scored a total of 12 points at the net against only 3 for Levski. The Bulgarian champion won more points from serves and opponent's errors, but the Germans compensated with higher efficiency in key rallies. The equal number of successful attacks highlights that the match was decided by details in tactical elements.
Individual performance
The only scorer with a double-digit tally for Levski was Todor Skrimov, who finished as the top scorer in the match with 16 points, an index of +11, 4 aces, 57% positive and 38% perfect reception, as well as 48% attack efficiency. Skrimov kept the team in difficult moments and demonstrated stability in all elements.
For Friedrichshafen, Gustavo Maciel, Parker Van Buren, and Simon Kohn each finished with 11 points, distributing the scoring among the entire squad.
