Tourcoing won the Bulgarian derby against Saint-Nazaire, Antov with a brilliant match
Tourcoing recorded a straight-sets victory in the Bulgarian derby in the French league, after defeating Saint-Nazaire 3-0 (25:18, 25:23, 25:22) in a championship match played in the "Pierre Dumortier" hall in front of 1034 spectators. The two Bulgarian internationals were also on the court – Venislav Antov for the hosts and Vladimir Garkov for the visitors.
Antov led Tourcoing
Venislav Antov played another strong match and was the top scorer with 17 points. The Bulgarian opposite hitter finished the match with an excellent efficiency rating of +12, 4 aces, 2 blocks, and 46% attack efficiency, with his stability in key moments tipping the scales in favor of Tourcoing.
Garkov with limited participation
On the other side, Vladimir Garkov had a more limited role. The Bulgarian appeared sporadically in the first two sets, and remained on the court until the end of the third. He finished with 3 points, all from attack, without being able to change the course of the match.
Match development
Saint-Nazaire tried to be competitive, especially in the second set. The visitors reached a tie at 21:21, but then Venislav Antov took responsibility and scored two consecutive aces for 24:22. The set ended after a serving error from Saint-Nazaire.
In the third set, the game was even until the middle, after which Tourcoing pulled ahead 20:16. With a counter-attack by Vladimir Garkov, the visitors reduced the deficit to 22:20, and after a block against Antov, they closed in at 23:22. However, this proved to be the limit of Saint-Nazaire's capabilities. A Tourcoing attack followed, which bounced off the block, and after an error by the visitors in the next rally, the match concluded.
Individual awards and atmosphere
Simon Roehrig was named Most Valuable Player (MVP), who finished with 13 points and made a significant contribution in crucial moments.
The two Bulgarians played in front of a solid group of their compatriots, who had arrived specifically from Germany to support Antov and Garkov in the Bulgarian derby in France – another testament to the strong connection within the Bulgarian volleyball community in Europe.
