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Macerata won the "Bulgarian" derby against Cantu, Denis Karyagin – MVP with 32 points

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January 5, 2026 at 09:53

Macerata won the "Bulgarian" derby against Cantu, Denis Karyagin – MVP with 32 points

Banca Macerata Fisiomed MC dramatically won the "Bulgarian" derby against Campi Reali Cantù with a score of 3:2 (19:25, 25:21, 25:19, 21:25, 15:10) in a Serie A2 match. The game offered five sets, serious comebacks, and excellent individual performances, with the national outside hitter Denis Karyagin being the great hero for the hosts, deservedly chosen as MVP.


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With this sixth victory, Macerata is in tenth place in the temporary standings.

Karyagin played another strong match and continues to accumulate points in the championship's top scorers ranking. He finished with an impressive 32 points, being the main offensive factor for the Macerata team. The other Bulgarian national in the winning squad, Rusi Zhelev, also made an important contribution, especially in the decisive fifth set.


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Player Points +/- Positive reception Perfect reception Blocks Attack efficiency
Denis Karyagin 32 +17 47% 27% 2 58%
Rusi Zhelev 12 +2 67% 42% 3 32%


The numbers clearly show Denis Karyagin's dominance in attack – 58% efficiency with a huge volume of actions and a +17 coefficient are indicative of his leadership role. Additionally, he was stable in reception, which allowed Macerata to play at a fast tempo in attack. Rusi Zhelev contributed with a more modest point tally, but with exceptionally solid reception and 3 blocks, including the decisive one at the end of the tie-break, which underlined his importance in the team's balance.

The third Bulgarian in the match, Nikolay Ivanov from Cantù's squad, only appeared in the first two sets. The outside hitter finished the match with 1 point, scored from an attack.


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Limited playing time prevented him from getting into rhythm, and then the visiting team's coaching staff opted for other options on the wings. Nevertheless, his presence on the court at the start of the game complemented the Bulgarian presence in one of the most interesting matches of the Serie A2 round.

Photos:legavolley.itand Pallavolo Macerata