Alex Nikolov once again struck a blow in the battle for the "top scorer" award in the Italian SuperLega. One round before the end of the regular season, the Bulgarian international took the lead in the individual points ranking and made a serious step towards the distinction.
Nikolov took the lead, despite having played one less match.
In Cucine Lube Civitanova's 3:2 away victory over Cisterna, Alex Nikolov played an outstanding match and scored 34 points (+15), including 1 ace and 2 blocks. The outside hitter attacked with 63% efficiency and finished with 70% positive reception. At the same time, however, he made 11 errors from 16 serves.
With these 34 points, Nikolov now has 434 points since the start of the season, having played 20 matches and 77 sets. An interesting detail is that the Bulgarian has played one less match due to accumulating two red cards, which makes his leadership even more impressive.
His main competitor, Ferre Reggers, also accumulated a solid tally – 22 points (all from attack), but Allianz Milano lost their away match against Monza 1:3. The Belgian opposite hitter remains in second place with 412 points from 21 matches.
Top 3 Scorers – after the 10th round of the second half of the season
| Pos. | Player | Team | Matches | Sets | Points | Points/set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Nikolov | Cucine Lube Civitanova | 20 | 77 | 434 | 5,64 |
| 2 | Ferre Reggers | Allianz Milano | 21 | 77 | 412 | 5,35 |
| 3 | Nathan Ferall | MA Aqua San Bernardo Cuneo | 21 | 74 | 325 | 4,39 |
Nikolov leads not only in total points but also in average points per set – 5.64 against 5.35 for Reggers. The difference of 22 points before the last round is significant, especially since the Bulgarian has played fewer matches. This means his season-long efficiency is higher. Third place is now held by Nathan Ferall from Cuneo, who overtook Keita Noumory from Verona, who held this position in the previous round. The reshuffling in the top three is a fact, but the distance to the first two remains considerable.
With only one round remaining until the end of the regular season, the battle for the award seems to be in the hands of the Bulgarian. If he maintains his level in the last match, Alex Nikolov is one step away from becoming the No. 1 scorer of the regular season in one of the strongest volleyball leagues in the world.
