Champions Maritsa (Plovdiv) confirmed their superiority in the semi-final series against CSKA and are now looking towards the final of the Demax National Volleyball League. The Plovdiv team won 3:1 (25:27, 25:13, 25:23, 25:23) in the second match held in the capital's Hristo Botev Hall, moving just one victory away from the title match.
Thus, Ahmetcan Erşimşek's trainees took a 2:0 lead in the series, which is played to three victories out of a maximum of five matches.
The start of the match offered an even game, with both teams staying neck and neck in the score. CSKA was the first to set the pace and managed to pull ahead 17:13, which led to a timeout for Maritsa. After that, the guests stabilized their play, especially in defense, and with a series of successful actions, erased the deficit to 18:18. The tie persisted until 24:24, and in the decisive rallies, the 'reds' were more precise and closed the set 27:25. This marked only the third time the champions lost a set in the championship this season.
The champions' response was emphatic. In the second set, Maritsa started with a powerful run to 7:2 and quickly took control of the match. The lead grew to 18:9, and by the end, the Plovdiv team completely dominated, leveling the score after a convincing 25:13.
The third set became a pivotal moment in the match. The game was again evenly matched, with CSKA leading 15:13, but a strong five-point run by Maritsa followed, turning the score to 18:15. In the concluding rallies, a new tie was reached at 23:23, but the champions showed greater stability and closed the set 25:23.
A similar scenario unfolded in the fourth set. Neither team managed to pull away, and the suspense remained until the very end – 23:23, when a serving point by Iva Dudova leveled the score. At the decisive moment, Maritsa scored an ace by Borislava Saykova and sealed the match at 25:23.
However, the CSKA camp may regret not reaching at least a tie-break, having played one of their strongest matches of the season. Yulia Ivanova's team matched the champions for long periods of the game and even led at crucial moments in the fourth set, but Maritsa's accumulated experience tipped the scales in the decisive points.
The third match of the series is scheduled for April 10th at 18:00 in Stroitel Hall, where Maritsa will have the opportunity to close out the series and qualify for the final.

photo:volleymaritza.bg