Volleyball champions Maritza (Plovdiv) held a press conference at Kolodruma Hall before their first home match in the Champions League this season against the Italian powerhouse Antonio Carraro Imoco (Conegliano), who are the current holders of the trophy from Europe's strongest club tournament. The briefing was attended by head coach Ahmetcan Erşimşek and volleyball players Zhana Todorova and Iva Dudova.

The match will be played tomorrow, November 12 (Tuesday) at 7:00 PM local time in Kolodruma Hall.

Ahmetcan Erşimşek - Head Coach of Maritza

"We are happy to play against Imoco (Conegliano), and such matches bring even more experience to our team. They are a really strong team, and I hope they will play with their best volleyball players. We want to fight against the best volleyball players in the world because that will motivate our team to the end. It's not easy to play against a team like Conegliano. All teams will have difficulties against them, as was the case last year. We want to fight for every point and show our best volleyball. If we win a set or two, that would be great, but the main thing is to represent the team in the best way possible. For us, definitely the most important match in the Champions League is against Mladost (Zagreb), and we will fight to continue in the CEV Cup, and our goal in Bulgaria is to become champions and win the Cup. The goal is for the team to improve and to help the national team as well. We are working hard for the entire year ahead. If they had asked me before the match in Poland if I would be happy if we won one set, I would have said "yes," but even though we managed to win a set, in the following ones we did not show what we are capable of, and I was not satisfied with the match."

Zhana Todorova - Volleyball player for Maritza

"Tomorrow we are playing against the best team in the world right now. Tactically, it's hard to find weaknesses in their game, and we need to show character in every situation. Every year we play against such powerhouses, and I hope it will be a great celebration for the public. First and foremost is self-sacrifice. Against such a team, you have nothing to lose. On the other hand, we often have too much respect, which in some situations calms us down, and I hope we play freely. It's hard to reach the Champions League group stage. I managed to achieve it with both Maritza and Prometey (Kamianske). The match with Krasnoyarsk is perhaps the greatest – we didn't give up even in Russia when the result was not in our favor. Many people didn't believe we could do it. I tell the young players that playing in the Champions League is a great chance to face such teams. They should first and foremost have fun and play freely," said Zhana Todorova, who also recalled the famous victory in Russia, which was on this date in 2018. Back then, Maritza entered the Champions League group stage, eliminating their renowned opponent.

Iva Dudova - Volleyball player for Maritza

"We will give our best and I hope we can make everyone who comes to support us happy."