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Latest news from the world of volleyball
Full Lokomotiv Arena throughout the season – a historical record in the Russian Super League
Russian volleyball recorded an achievement that has not been marked in the history of the Superleague until now. Lokomotiv Novosibirsk played the entire regular season in front of a completely sold-out arena, with all its home matches taking place at full capacity in the stands. The curious fact was highlighted by the popular Telegram channel "Fanat Voleybola" (Volleyball Fan), which drew attention to the unique series. The record was finally established on March 13, when in a match from the 30th round, the Novosibirsk team hosted Yaroslavich. The hosts left no doubt about their superiority and won convincingly:
Veni Antov with 14 points, but Tourcoing lost at home to Plessis-Robinson
Veni Antov finished with 14 points in Tourcoing's home loss to Plessis-Robinson by 1:3 (25:23, 19:25, 21:25, 18:25) in a French league match played in front of 1544 spectators at "Pierre Dumortier" hall. The Bulgarian concluded the match with a utility of +3, recorded 1 ace, and finished with 37% attack efficiency. Despite his strong contribution, Tourcoing failed to hold onto their lead after winning the first set and allowed a comeback. The guests from Plessis-Robinson showed more stable play in the next three sets and achieved a valuable success, which moved them up to 7th place with 36 points. Tourcoing remains 3rd with 50 points.
Zawiercie defeated Bogdanka in Lublin and recorded their 11th consecutive victory in PlusLiga
Aluron CMC Warta (Zawiercie) achieved a decisive away victory against Bogdanka LUK (Lublin) with a 3:0 (25:19, 25:16, 25:16) score in the round's derby in the Polish PlusLiga. Michal Winiarski's team demonstrated complete superiority and solidified their excellent streak of 11 consecutive wins in the championship. The clash pitted two of the best teams in the championship against each other. The hosts entered the match after four consecutive league wins and two more in the Champions League, while Aluron arrived in Lublin with a six-match winning streak. However, expectations for an evenly matched encounter were not met.
Bogdanka LUK Lublin renewed Mikolaj Sawicki's contract for the 2026/2027 season
Polish champions Bogdanka LUK Lublin announced that outside hitter Mikołaj Sawicki has signed a new contract with the club for the 2026/2027 season. The decision comes shortly after the 25-year-old volleyball player returned to competitive action after more than a six-month break due to a doping case. Sawicki went through a difficult period after prohibited substances were found in his system and a procedure was initiated against him by the Polish Anti-Doping Agency. The volleyball player consistently maintained his innocence and appealed the institution's decisions. In early March, he was granted the right to play again.
Plotnitsky hinted at a return to Ukraine, with which Bulgaria plays at Euro 2026
One of the biggest stars of European volleyball, Oleh Plotnytskyi, spoke about a possible return to the Ukrainian national team. The outside hitter for the Italian giant Perugia made interesting revelations in an interview for the Ukrainian websiteSport.ua, which directly affects Bulgaria as well. The reason is that the Bulgarian national team is in the same group as Ukraine at the 2026 European Championship, which will be played in Sofia. The group also includes Poland, Portugal, North Macedonia, and Israel. This means that Plotnytskyi's potential return could seriously boost the strength of the Ukrainian team, especially in direct matches against Bulgaria.
Sam Deru returned, Moni sprained an ankle, Lokomotiv finished the regular season with a win
Sam Deroo returned after a difficult ordeal, Lokomotiv finished the regular season with a victory Belgian outside hitter Sam Deroo returned to the court after more than three months of absence, recording his first match since November 25 in Lokomotiv Novosibirsk's victory over Yaroslavich in the final 30th round of the Russian Super League regular season. The team from Novosibirsk convincingly won 3:0 (25:22, 27:25, 25:21) in front of their home crowd, thus finishing the regular phase of the championship in fourth place, which secured their direct participation in the quarterfinals. The 33-year-old Belgian international started as a regular in Lokomotiv's outside hitter pair, but after the second set, he and Fyodor Voronkov were replaced by Alexander Markin and Omar Kurbanov. Deroo's return carried a strong emotional charge.
Phenomenal Alex Nikolov: MVP of February and #1 in points in Italy
Bulgarian national Alex Nikolov continues to write a strong page in his career in the Italian SuperLega Credem Banca. The outside hitter for Cucine Lube Civitanova was awarded the MVP of February award, after a series of impressive matches both at the end of the regular season and at the start of the playoffs. The son of legend Vladimir Nikolov once again showed why he has become one of Lube's most valuable players. The Bulgarian was chosen as the most valuable player in two regular season matches – against Rana Verona and Cisterna, and just days ago played a key role in Game 1 of the quarterfinal series against Itas Trentino, won by the team from Civitanova. This is Nikolov's second award this season, as he was also named MVP of the month in the Italian elite in October.
Four Polish teams in the Champions League quarterfinals, three Bulgarians too
The playoff phase in the Men's Volleyball Champions League definitively shaped the quarter-final picture of the tournament, and it clearly shows one thing – the strength of Polish club volleyball. A total of four teams from PlusLiga found a place among the eight strongest in Europe –Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, PGE Projekt Warsaw, Bogdanka LUK Lublin and Asseco Resovia Rzeszów. Such a concentration of teams from one country at this stage of the tournament is rare and is further proof why PlusLiga continues to be considered the strongest championship on the continent. Lublin and Zawiercie reached the quarter-finals directly as group winners, while Warsaw and Rzeszów had to go through the playoff phase.
The last quarterfinalist in the men's Champions League has also become clear
Polish Asseco Resovia (Rzeszów) became the last quarter-finalist in the Men's Champions League. The team solidified their lead from the first match and defeated Knack (Roeselare) 3:1 (25:23, 25:22, 25:17, 25:21) in their away game, securing their place among the top eight. The visitors started strong and controlled the first set thanks to Karol Butryn and Yacine Louati. The Belgians reacted in the second set, when a series of powerful serves by Basil Dermaut brought the hosts back into the match. After the break, however, Resovia again imposed a higher tempo in attack and with more stable block play took the third set, which practically guaranteed their advancement.
Maritsa dominates, Levski and CPVC lurk: what the playoffs look like in the Demax League
The regular season in the women's Demax League has concluded, and the final 18th round largely confirmed the expected course of events. The favorites secured their positions, and the standings ultimately shaped the playoff bracket. Levski (Sofia) faced no problems against the underdog DKS Varna and won convincingly with 3:0(25:11,25:18,25:15). Champion Maritsa (Plovdiv) also finished the regular season flawlessly after a clear victory over Dragoman with 3:0(25:16,25:11,25:17). In the other matches of the round, Slavia prevailed over Dea Sport with 3:1, CSKA defeated Minyor with 3:1, and CPVK won their away game against Maritsa 2022 also with 3:1.