CPVC started the semifinal series in the Demax Super League in excellent fashion, winning away against Levski with a score of 3:1 (27:25, 21:25, 25:18, 25:21) in the first match, played in "Levski Sofia" hall.
The match began with an extremely contested first set, in which the hosts had their opportunities but failed to hold on in the decisive moments and lost it 25:27. Levski reacted in the second set and equalized with a 25:21 win, demonstrating greater stability in attack.
After the equalizer, however, the initiative passed entirely into the hands of CPVC. The away team imposed a better serving rhythm and limited errors, which allowed them to control the third set for a 25:18 win. In the fourth part, the match was again evenly contested, but in the key rallies, CPVC showed stronger mental resilience and closed out the match with a 25:21 score.
The guests' success is somewhat surprising given Levski's home advantage, but entirely logical based on the match's development and their more stable play in crucial moments.
Following CPVC's 3:1 victory over Levski in the first semifinal of the National Women's Volleyball League, player Kalina Veneva and head coach Evelina Tsvetanova spoke to BNT, emphasizing the team's character, reduced errors, and the value of the derby win.
Kalina Veneva:
"I evaluate our play; we did quite well as guests. We can put pressure on them with our serve and be more decisive. We are very united; we don't give up. Even when they were leading, we managed to regroup at the end of the sets and take them."
Evelina Tsvetanova:
"I want to congratulate the girls for the excellently played match and the victory, a great celebration and great emotions today. We reduced our personal errors; we could have closed out the first set much earlier, then we reduced the errors, and that showed in our play. This is a derby, the match has great value, it's normal for the girls to be tense, I'm happy that we won."
"They tried to surprise us with an attack through Zone 6; we managed to adjust. They scored their points, but it wasn't crucial for the match for us. Let's first rest, then analyze our and their play, and prepare 100% for the second match in the series."
With their victory, CPVC took a 1:0 lead in the series. The second match is on April 8th in "Hristo Botev" hall, where the team will have the opportunity to solidify their lead in front of their home crowd.
