Bulgarian volleyball players in Turkey left a strong mark in the latest round of the Efeler League, with a record of two wins and one loss, but with excellent individual performances. Radoslav Stoychev's Halkbank confidently continues its pursuit of the top, and Matey Kaziyski and Tsvetan Sokolov were once again among the team's driving forces. Georgi Seganov also recorded a win with Alanya, while Denislav Bardarov played another strong match for Istanbul BB, but this time his team dramatically lost after a tie-break.

Halkbank (Ankara) – Bursa BB 3:1 (25:23, 25:22, 23:25, 25:20)

Halkbank achieved a second consecutive and overall 14th victory in the championship after winning its away match in Bursa with a score of 3:1. Radoslav Stoychev's team maintained stability in key moments and once again received significant production from its Bulgarian core.

Bulgarians for Halkbank – statistics

Sokolov was once again Halkbank's "anchor" – 21 points and 54% attack efficiency are indicative of his high scoring at a stable quality. Kaziyski, on the other hand, added extra class with 2 aces and a contribution in reception, which makes his performance even more valuable in a match with moments of tension.

Istanbul BB – Galatasaray 2:3 (25:22, 21:25, 36:34, 21:25, 10:15)

Istanbul BB was very close to a big success – the team took a 2:1 lead in sets and had its chances to close out the match, but Galatasaray snatched the victory after more stable play at the end and in the tie-break.

Denislav Bardarov for Istanbul BB – statistics

This was a top-class match for Bardarov – 31 points against a team like Galatasaray speak for themselves. Even more impressively, he achieved this with 58% attack efficiency, plus 3 aces, which means a real impact in direct points. The +21 indicator suggests that when he was on the court, Istanbul BB gained significantly in the game balance – but in the tie-break, the team failed to capitalize on his huge contribution.

Alanya – Kuşgöz İzmir Vinç Akuş Bld. 3:1 (25:16,25:22,21:25,25:23)

Georgi Seganov and Alanya recorded an important 3:1 victory, with the hosts taking control in the first two sets, experiencing a dip in the third, but closing out the match in the fourth. The Bulgarian setter also contributed with points, and his team benefited from a strong day by their main scorer.

The Bulgarian for Alanya – statistics

For a setter, 3 points with a +2, plus 1 ace and 1 block, are an excellent bonus to his main role – organizing the game. Alanya obviously had the necessary variability and control to win the match, and the fact that they closed out the fourth game shows stability in crucial rallies.

Standings after these matches (Efeler League)

Halkbank is a stable No. 2 and keeps pace with the leaders. Alanya is in the middle zone, and every victory is golden for a more comfortable ranking. IBB is further down in the standings, but a match like Bardarov's with 31 points shows that the team has the potential to take big scalps when playing at its best.