ItalianSuperLega Credem Bancamarks volleyball'sBoxing Day (Boxing Day) on December 26 with a full round – all 12 teams take to the court in the 13th round of the regular season. For the Bulgarian audience, the focus is on four matches involving our volleyball players, spread across different time zones, but united by one thing – participation in the strongest club championship in the world.
Matches with Bulgarian participation – time and TV broadcast
| Time (Bulgarian time) | Match | Bulgarian volleyball players | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:00 | Cucine Lube Civitanova – Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza | Alex Nikolov | VBTV, MAX SPORT 2 |
| 18:00 | Rana Verona – Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina | Iliya Petkov, Georgi Tatarov | VBTV |
| 19:00 | Allianz Milano – Sonepar Padova | Boris Nachev | VBTV |
| 19:00 | Vero Volley Monza – Itas Trentino | Martin Atanasov, Jasmin Velichkov | VBTV, MAX SPORT 1 |
The time distribution allows for almost continuous tracking of Bulgarian participation during the evening. Two of the matches will also be available on MAX SPORT, which guarantees a wider television audience in Bulgaria.
Alex Nikolov in the big match of the round
At 5:00 PM, Lube Civitanova hosts Piacenza in a direct clash for the top four. Alex Nikolov and his teammates are looking for a third consecutive victory in the championship, having already recorded their first away win of the season. Piacenza arrives after a tie-break loss and will be playing under serious pressure, which further increases the value of the encounter.
Tough mission for the Bulgarians in Grottazzolina
At 6:00 PM, Rana Verona hosts the last-place team in the standings, Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina, where Iliya Petkov and Georgi Tatarov play. The difference in positions is significant – Verona is third and chasing leaders Trentino and Perugia, while the Bulgarian team has only 2 points and is still looking for their first win of the season. For Petkov and Tatarov, every won set and every solid performance is a chance to establish themselves in a difficult campaign.
Boris Nachev against strong Milano
At 7:00 PM, Allianz Milano hosts Sonepar Padova in a match where the hosts rely on their strong home performance. Boris Nachev and Padova are in the lower half of the table, and every point matters in the battle for comfort. A tactical duel is expected, where consistency will be more important than spectacle.
Monza against the champion – a test for Atanasov and Velichkov
Also at 7:00 PM, Vero Volley Monza faces leader Itas Trentino. In the home team's squad are Martin Atanasov and Jasmin Velichkov, and their task is one of the toughest of the entire round. Trentino shares first place with Perugia and enters the match with a clear favorite status, but it is precisely against such opponents that the real growth of young volleyball players is seen.
Additional highlight: a direct clash for the top scorer spot:
Having outlined the matches with Bulgarian participation, Boxing Day offers another high-level intrigue – a direct duel for first place among the top scorers in SuperLega Credem Banca. At its center are Alex Nikolov and the Belgian Fere Reggers, who face each other indirectly through their matches, but directly in the statistics.
The Belgian opposite received an unexpected gift after Alex Nikolov missed a match due to accumulated cards. This allowed Reggers to take the lead in the scoring classification, overtaking the Bulgarian national. That is why the matches on December 26 carry additional weight – not only for the teams' standings but also for the individual battle at the top.
Scoring Classification – Regular Season 2025/2026
| Pos. | Player | Position | Team | Matches | Games | Points | Points / game | Break point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferre Reggers | Opposite | Allianz Milano | 12 | 45 | 244 | 5,42 | 86 |
| 2 | Aleksandar Nikolov | Outside hitter | Cucine Lube Civitanova | 11 | 42 | 230 | 5,48 | 84 |
| 3 | Numory Keita | Outside hitter | Rana Verona | 12 | 42 | 208 | 4,95 | 79 |
The numbers show an extremely even battle. Although Reggers leads in total points (244 against 230), Alex Nikolov ismore effective on average per game– 5.48 points against 5.42 for the Belgian. This highlights how crucial the Bulgarian's penalty was, which temporarily tipped the scales in favor of the Milano player. The difference in break points is also minimal, which speaks to a similar influence on their teams' play.
SuperLega Credem Banca Standings (after 12 rounds)
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itas Trentino | 29 |
| 2 | Sir Safety Susa Perugia | 29 |
| 3 | Rana Verona | 28 |
| 4 | Valsa Group Modena | 25 |
| 5 | Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza | 23 |
| 6 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | 22 |
| 7 | Allianz Milano | 20 |
| 8 | Vero Volley Monza | 12 |
| 9 | Sonepar Padova | 11 |
| 10 | MA Aqua S.Bernardo Cuneo | 9 |
| 11 | Cisterna Volley | 6 |
| 12 | Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina | 2 |
The standings clearly outline the different roles of Bulgarian volleyball players in the round – from fighting for medals and top positions to tough matches for survival. This is precisely what makes Boxing Day in SuperLega so indicative and valuable from the perspective of individual development.
December 26 offers not just festive volleyball, but a concentrated test for Bulgarian players in Italy. Whether it's a battle for the top or for points at the bottom, every match is a stage where the Bulgarian presence continues to establish itself in the strongest league in the world.
