Maritsa (Plovdiv) failed to record a success in their fifth participation in Group E of the Women's Volleyball Champions League, after losing at home to Polish champion Developres (Rzeszów) with 0:3 (20:25, 16:25, 21:25). Despite the clear score, the match offered quite a few even moments and serious resistance from the Bulgarian champion.
After this match, Ahmetcan Erşimşek's team remains third in the group standings with 4 points. Developres, on the other hand, made a decisive step towards first place and collected 12 points, surpassing German Palmberg (Schwerin) by three points, who has a game in hand.
The match at Kolodruma Hall was also honored by one of the biggest figures in Bulgarian sports - Hristo Stoichkov, who watched the game from the stands and supported the Plovdiv team.
The hosts started impressively and with aggressive play, taking a 6:2 lead after winning several long rallies, demonstrating stable digs in defense. The Polish team reacted with a timeout, which yielded results – an 8:8 tie and gradual control of the game. At 17:16 for the visitors, a series of four unanswered points followed, which tipped the scales and brought the first set to Developres – 25:20.
In the second set, the scenario repeated itself, but with an earlier lead for the Polish side. Developres pulled away to 7:2 and maintained a distance up to 13:6. Maritsa found strength for a comeback, tightening their defense and narrowing the gap to 12:14. In the decisive moments, however, the class of the visitors prevailed – a run to 20:15 and closing the set at 25:16.
The third set offered the most dramatic minutes. The game went point for point until 14:14, after which the "yellow-blues" took a 16:14 lead and even reached 20:17. Instead of breaking their opponent, Developres responded with composure, equalized at 20:20, and with a more confident attack, closed out the match at 25:21.
The top scorer for Maritsa was Iva Dudova, who finished the match with an impressive 24 points and led the team in the most difficult moments.
In their last match of the group stage, the Plovdiv team will visit French Levallois Paris Saint Cloud (Paris) on February 4, seeking a better performance and a prestigious result in their final match of the tournament.
photos: cev.eu
