Drama until the final point: Bulgaria pulls off a wild victory over Ukraine in the Nations League

The Bulgarian women's national volleyball team delivered a true thriller for the fans after pulling off a dramatic and "wild victory" over Ukraine with 3-2 sets (25:22, 19:25, 21:25, 25:15, 17:15) in their fourth match of the second week of the Nations League. The match featured momentum shifts, strong runs, and a nerve-wracking tie-break, in which the Bulgarians showed character.

The team led by Marcello Abbondanza recorded its second success since the start of the VNL tournament. With the added points, the national team now has a total of five and occupies 16th place in the standings, leaving behind the Dominican Republic and France, who are in the last two positions. The competition format dictates that the team that finishes in last place will be relegated from the prestigious tournament for at least one year.

The duel with Ukraine was the last for the Bulgarians in the second phase of the Nations League. In the third week, our team will face Serbia on July 8, followed by matches against the Czech Republic, France, and Germany within five tense days – a series that could prove decisive for the team's future in the tournament.

Marcello Abbondanza started the match with the following starting lineup: Margarita Guncheva, Mikaela Stoyanova, Miroslava Paskova, Aleksandra Milanova, Borislava Saykova, Darina Naneva, and Mila Pashkuleva as libero. During the match, substitutions from the bench were made by Zhana Todorova (libero), Merelin Nikolova, Lora Slavcheva, Kalina Veneva, Kaya Nikolova, and Viktoriya Ninova, who played a key role in the comeback.

The first set began evenly, but Bulgaria gradually imposed its will. A powerful attack by Mikaela Stoyanova from the back row gave a 6-5 lead, and a solo block by the same player made the score 9-8. An ace by Aleksandra Milanova increased the advantage to 11-8. Ukraine managed to equalize at 14-14, which forced Abbondanza to call a timeout. In the decisive moments, an ace by Merelin Nikolova made it 19-18, a technical attack by Mikaela Stoyanova from zone 2 made it 20-19, and at 22-22, the Bulgarian coach stopped the game again. The set ended with an ace by Mikaela Stoyanova and a 25-22 success for Bulgaria.

In the second set, the national team started well – a block-out by Miroslava Paskova for 3-3, after which Borislava Saykova put the team ahead 4-3. Another block-out by Paskova and an ace by Saykova made the score 7-4. Gradually, the Ukrainians found their rhythm and took a 14-11 lead after a series of successful plays and an error by Mikaela Stoyanova for 15-11. Abbondanza took a timeout, but the opponents maintained their advantage. Despite good attacks by Mira Paskova and Kalina Veneva at the end, Ukraine won the set 25-19 and leveled the sets.

The third set started excellently for Bulgaria – a solo block by Aleksandra Milanova and a 3-0 lead, followed by a powerful attack by Mikaela Stoyanova for 4-0. Ukrainian coach Jakub Gluszak took an early timeout. Our team led 7-3 after an error by Oleksandra Milenko, and a great block by Borislava Saykova made it 9-5. A series of strong attacks by Stoyanova brought it to 12-10 and 13-10, but Ukraine managed to equalize at 14-14 and went on a run to 17-14. Abbondanza's timeout failed to stop the opponent's momentum, and despite an attempt to get back into the set at 20-23, the Ukrainians closed the set 25-21 and took a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set turned into a demonstration of Bulgarian power. A block by Kalina Veneva brought the score to 6-6, after which a series of strong attacks by Merelin Nikolova put the team ahead – 9-6. An attack by Lora Slavcheva made the score 12-7, and two consecutive aces by Kaya Nikolova increased the lead to 14-7. Merelin Nikolova continued to torment the Ukrainian defense for 16-11, and a block by Kaya Nikolova widened the gap to 20-15. An ace by Miroslava Paskova brought it to 23-15, and Kalina Veneva realized a difficult ball for game point at 24-15. Bulgaria won convincingly 25-15 and sent the match to a tie-break.

The decisive fifth set was a real drama. Merelin Nikolova started with an attack off the block for 4-3, followed by a new powerful attack for 5-4 and another successful attack for 6-5. An attack by Kaya Nikolova through the center equalized at 7-7, but an error by Oleksandra Milenko returning the ball out gave the lead back to Bulgaria at 8-7. The Ukrainians reached a 9-9 tie again, but attacks by Borislava Saykova in the center maintained the balance – 10-10 and 11-11, and another successful attack of hers made it 13-12.

A technical attack by Merelin Nikolova brought the first match point at 14-13. Ukraine managed to save two opportunities, but the Bulgarians kept their composure. At 16-15, another precise attack by Nikolova brought a third match point, and another one of her technical finishing attacks fixed the final 17-15 in the tie-break and 3-2 sets for Bulgaria.

With the success over Ukraine, the national team not only gained valuable points in the fight to stay in the Nations League but also showed that they can play strongly under pressure. A difficult third week lies ahead with matches against Serbia, Czech Republic, France, and Germany, in which the "crazy" character shown in this match could prove to be a decisive weapon.