Cherno More overcame the turmoil after being eliminated from the Bulgarian Cup finals and the subsequent coaching change, entering the second half of the season with new additions. The Portuguese Andre Medeiros replaces the departed Viktor Yosifov in the middle, and Todor Dimitrov will strengthen the reception. This was reported specifically tovolleyweek.bgthe club president Krasimir Iliev, who revealed details about the selection and the team's current state before the start of the championship.

Andre Medeiros – The Portuguese choice in the middle

Cherno More signed the Portuguese Andre Medeiros, who comes as a middle blocker and will take the place of the departed captain Viktor Yosifov.

Medeiros was born on July 21, 2000, is 197 cm tall, and weighs 94 kg. With stats of 335 cm in attack and 320 cm in block, he is a typical representative of modern middle blockers – agile, with a good first tempo and stability at the net. To date, he has 185 official matches and participation in 20 tournaments, accumulated in the Portuguese championship.

Career:

• Castêlo da Maia GC (2018–2023)

• AA São Mamede (2023–2025)

• Ala de Nun'Álvares de Gondomar (2025/26)

Expectations are for Medeiros to quickly integrate and take serious responsibility in blocking.

Todor Dimitrov – Experienced outside hitter with an international profile

The other main addition is Todor Dimitrov, who arrives as an outside hitter with solid international experience.

Born on April 6, 2001, 200 cm tall, with an attack reach of 355 cm and a block reach of 335 cm, Dimitrov possesses excellent physical attributes. In his career, he has 232 official matches in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the Middle East, which makes him a valuable option for reception stability and attack power.

Konstantin Stoykov returns to full capacity

Good news for the staff is related to Konstantin Stoykov. The middle blocker previously had a broken finger, but the injury has now completely subsided, and he is fully participating in the team's training sessions for the upcoming start of the championship. This provides additional depth in the middle blocker position and more options for rotation.

Cherno More continues to rely heavily on its own academy, as in addition to Stoykov, three more youngsters are already training with the men's team:

• Boris Hristov – Opposite Hitter

• Ilkay Shaban – Libero

• Aleksandar Ivanov – Outside Hitter

The other personnel issue concerns center Tomislav Rusev, who underwent hernia surgery and is already recovering successfully. Tomi is expected to be back in action in early February.

photos: internet and n
National Sport