The Bulgarian national women's U18 team secured their third consecutive victory in their European Championship qualification group. Following their successes against Kosovo and Montenegro, the Bulgarian team also defeated Greece with a score of 3:1 (25:18, 18:25, 25:14, 25:22) in the "Hristo Botev" hall.
Later today, our opponent for the semi-finals, scheduled for tomorrow, will be determined.
Bulgaria dictated the tempo.
The first set was entirely dominated by the Bulgarian team. Our squad started confidently, taking a 3:0 lead and quickly extending it to 9:3. After a brief lapse, allowing the score to narrow to 12:10, the national team players picked up the pace again. Strong serving and stable play in all aspects allowed Bulgaria to close out the set at 25:18.
A lapse in the second set.
The second set began in a fundamentally different manner. Greece took a 3:1 lead and gradually established control, moving to 9:5 and then 14:8. Our team's problems primarily stemmed from inconsistent serving. Despite attempts to stage a comeback and narrow the gap to 17:21, the Greek team maintained their lead and leveled the match by winning 25:18.
Decisive response.
The third set started evenly, but only up to 8:8. Bulgaria was the first to exert significant pressure, pulling ahead to 11:8, and shortly after, to 15:10. The confidence from the first set fully returned, the lead became double-digit at 23:13, and the set concluded convincingly with a score of 25:14.
Mature play in decisive moments.
The fourth set once again began evenly. The Bulgarian team maintained a consistent two-point lead, but at 15:11, they allowed Greece to score four consecutive points, leveling the score at 15:15. However, our team's response was swift – another four-point run restored control.
The suspense was maintained until the very end. After a 21:21 tie, two crucial attacks from the left and an opponent's error secured the first match point at 24:21. Greece saved it, but on the second match point, the Bulgarian team made no mistake and closed out the match with a score of 25:22.
With this victory, Bulgaria concludes the group stage with a perfect record and awaits their semi-final opponent with high confidence and stable play in all aspects.
photo: cev.eu
