Bulgaria women took their first victory in five matches when they beat Greece 3-1 at the European Volleyball Championship on Saturday. The result came after a run of defeats that had seen them lose every game since mid-July.
Going into this match, Bulgaria had not tasted success in over a month. They lost 0-3 to Ukraine, 0-4 to the Netherlands, 0-3 to Germany, 1-3 to France and 1-3 to the Czech Republic in succession. That kind of run never sits well with a squad.
Greece arrived with a different kind of momentum. In their last five outings they had won three times — against Ukraine 3-2, Algeria 3-0 and Kosovo 3-0 — before losing to the Czech Republic and Sweden. They held their nerve when it mattered.
The 3-1 scoreline reflected a match where Bulgaria found their rhythm after a difficult start. Greece had the edge in some phases but could not close out the set when it counted.
This is a result Bulgaria can build on. They are running out of games in this tournament and every point counts now.
