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Latest news from the world of volleyball
Stoyanova and Mitkova's Vallefoglia bid farewell to the playoffs, while Milano, Conegliano, and Novara advance.
The Megabox Vallefoglia team, which included Bulgarians Mikaela Stoyanova and Tsvetomira Mitkova during the season, concluded its participation in the Italian Serie A1 playoffs after a second loss to Vero Volley Milano. Stefano Lavarini's team also won the second quarter-final match 3:0 (25:20, 25:19, 25:22) in front of 2733 spectators at the "Vitrifrigo Arena" and closed the series with a 2:0 victory. Milano controlled most of the match, with substitute Akimova and Paola Egonu, who finished as the top scorer with 24 points, standing out in crucial moments of the third set. Anna Danesi was chosen MVP with 11 points, including 5 blocks, while for Vallefoglia, Bici became the top scorer with 13 points, and middle blocker Kandi added 11 points and 4 aces. In another series, champion Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano also concluded its quarter-final with two clean victories, after dominating UYBA Busto Arsizio 3:0 (25:16, 25:17, 25:15) in the second match.
Sorrento broke Virtus Aversa with a 3:1, a stable match for Preslav Petkov
Romero Sorrento's team recorded an important victory over Virtus Aversa – where Gordan Lyutskanov played last season – with a score of 3:1 (25:20, 25:21, 19:25, 25:23) in a match from the Italian Serie A2 championship. This is the ninth success of the season for the team from Sorrento, which now has 27 points and is in 10th place in the provisional standings. Bulgarian international Preslav Petkov played a solid match. The middle blocker finished with 7 points – 1 ace, 1 block, and an impressive 71% attack efficiency. He was targeted 7 times in attack, scoring 5 successful spikes.
The strong trio of Dimitrov-Vulchinov-Zlatanov was not enough for Ravena to win
Ravenna suffered a 1:3 (23:25, 21:25, 25:17, 20:25) defeat in their away match against Brescia in a direct clash from the 21st round of Italy's Serie A2, where the strong serve of the hosts proved decisive. The Brescia team scored 11 aces, which tipped the scales and brought an important victory, allowing the hosts to overtake Ravenna in the standings. Despite the solid performance of the trio Dimitrov–Valchinov–Zlatanov, Ravenna failed to secure points. Bulgarian internationals Hristiyan Dimitrov and Samuil Valchinov were among the most effective for the team, and Manuel Zlatanov, grandson of the legend Dimitar Zlatanov, also made a strong contribution. Dimitrov finished with 14 points (+3), including 1 ace and 1 block, with 49% attack efficiency.Valchinov added 13 points (-1), distinguishing himself with 4 blocks and a 45% attack success rate.Manuel Zlatanov was Ravenna's top scorer with 16 points (-2), 2 blocks, and a 56% attack success rate.
Zhelev and Karyagin lead Macerata to an away victory over Siena
Macerata achieved a valuable away victory over Emma Villas Siena with a score of 3:1 (22:25, 25:21, 25:21, 25:20) in the mid-week round of the Italian Serie A2. The success was particularly important in the battle for survival, and two Bulgarian national players – Rusi Zhelev and Denis Karyagin – played a key role. Zhelev played a strong match in reception and attack. The Bulgarian receiver finished with 16 points and a +13 efficiency rating, scoring 1 ace and 1 block. In attack, he was extremely effective with a 54% success rate, and in reception, he recorded 32% positive reception, which brought stability to Macerata's game.
Trento snatched a 3:2 victory against Warsaw before the return leg in the Champions League playoffs
Italian champions Trento took a significant step towards the next phase after winning their away game against PGE Project Warsaw with a 3:2 (25:11, 17:25, 27:25, 19:25, 15:9) victory. Marcelo Mendez's team achieved success in Poland without Michieletto in the squad, but still managed to gain a slight advantage before the return leg in Italy, where any kind of win will be sufficient for them. The start was impressive for the Italians. After the 3:3 tie, Trento pressed their opponent with serves and blocks, dominating decisively – 80% against 53% in attack, 7:1 points from serves, and 3:1 blocks, which led to a crushing 25:11 win. After the change of sides, Warsaw reacted and quickly built up a lead through the strong play of Georg Weber.
Asseco Resovia made a big step towards the quarterfinals of the Champions League
The Polish grand Aseco Resovia Rzeszów started the elimination phase of the Volleyball Champions League in an excellent way. In the first match of the playoffs for a place in the quarterfinals, Massimo Botti's team decisively defeated Belgian Knack Roeselare 3:0 (25:16, 25:19, 25:18) and secured a significant advantage before the return leg. The match in 'Podpromie' hall began with a minute of silence in memory of the former president of the European Volleyball Confederation, Aleksandar Boričić. Right at the start, the Polish team exerted serious pressure from their serve. After an ace by Dmytro Danylenko, the hosts took a 5:2 lead and gradually increased their advantage.
Bulgaria – Poland sold out in a day, additional tickets for EuroVolley 2026 discussed
The President of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev, held a working meeting with Anna Janiszewska Frączek, Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Sofia. The native volleyball headquarters announced the meeting. The main topic of discussion was Bulgaria's preparation for the 2026 Men's European Volleyball Championship, which will be co-hosted by four countries – Bulgaria, Italy, Finland, and Romania. One of the highlights of the discussion was the enormous interest in the match between Bulgaria and Poland. The encounter, which has been anticipated as one of the most attractive group stage matches since the program's announcement, sold out in just one day after tickets went on sale.
The MEVZA Women's Final Four has been cancelled due to tensions in the Middle East
The MEVZA Women's League Final Four, which was scheduled to take place in Cyprus on March 4 and 5, has been officially canceled. The decision was made due to serious security concerns related to the escalation of tensions and military actions in the Middle East in recent days. This was announced on the organization's official website. The MEVZA management informed that the safety of the players, coaching staffs, and all participants in the tournament is an absolute priority. For this very reason, the organizers have assessed that, given the current situation, hosting the tournament in Cyprus cannot be guaranteed with the necessary level of security.
Aleksandar Boričić – a great figure in European volleyball and a friend of Bulgaria – has passed away
One of the most influential figures in European and world volleyball – Aleksandar Boričić – passed away on March 4 in Belgrade after a stroke. The news provoked a strong reaction in the volleyball community because Boričić was a person who for decades influenced the development of the sport both in the Balkans and across Europe. In addition to his role as a leader, he will also be remembered as a loyal friend of Bulgarian volleyball, who over the years actively worked for closer ties and good cooperation between the Bulgarian and Serbian federations.Until the very end, he attended major championships, having also watched Bulgaria's phenomenal performance at the World Championship in Manila last autumn. Aleksandar Boričić was born on May 26 in Belgrade. His volleyball career began at Crvena Zvezda, where he played from 1962.
Cisterna won 3-2 against Cuneo-Grotazzolina at the NAS tournament in Dubai
Italian "Cisterna" recorded a dramatic 3:2 (25:20, 18:25, 25:21, 16:25, 15:11) victory over the combined team "Cuneo-Grottazzolina" in a Group B match of the international NAS Sports Tournament in Dubai. The match became one of the most contested in the competition, with the winner decided only in the tie-break. The encounter offered constant twists and turns. "Cisterna" took the lead after a strong first set, but their opponent quickly equalized. The two teams exchanged another set each, leading to a decisive fifth set, where the "Cisterna" team showed greater stability and closed the match with a 15:11 score.