The Bulgarian women’s national volleyball team under 21 has advanced to the semifinals of the World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia, after a 3:1 (25:23, 22:25, 25:23, 25:18) victory over Poland in the quarterfinals. The squad, led by coach Dragan Nesic, now awaits the winner of the Turkey–Japan clash later today to determine their next opponent. This achievement comes shortly after Bulgaria’s under-19 women’s team claimed the world title by defeating the USA in the final.
In the opening set, Bulgaria pulled ahead after a 6:6 tie and maintained control until the end, at times leading by four points before closing it at 25:23. The second set began with a 4:1 advantage for Nesic’s players, but Poland leveled the score at 7:7. The game remained tight with ties at 16:16 and 19:19, before Poland surged ahead 24:20. Bulgaria narrowed the gap, but Poland secured the set 25:22.
The third set saw Poland take an early 10:6 lead, but Bulgaria fought back to 11:11. The lead switched several times, with the final tie at 23:23. The Bulgarians capitalized on their first set point to win 25:23. This loss visibly impacted Poland, despite their better start in the fourth set at 5:3. Bulgaria equalized at 7:7 and again at 14:14, then pulled away with six consecutive points. From there, they kept the momentum and secured the set 25:18, with the final point coming from a counterattack by captain Viktoria Koeva, set up by a strong serve from Venessa Radeva and a poor Polish reception.
The standout performer for Bulgaria was Iva Dudova from Maritsa (Plovdiv), who scored 33 points – 28 from attacks, 3 blocks, and 2 aces. Koeva contributed 14 points, Aleksandra Kipitova added 8, and Kaya Nikolova finished with 7. For Poland, Aleksandra Adamczyk and Julia Hevelt each recorded 19 points.
Statistically, Bulgaria outperformed Poland in most areas – attack (56:53), block (14:11), and serve (7:3) – although they made slightly more errors (22:20). The team had previously faced Japan in the group stage, losing to them, but should the two sides meet again in the semifinals, the Bulgarians expect a very different match.