The young Bulgarians celebrate their hard-earned 4-2 victory over Japan
Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 10, 2017 – Bulgaria prevailed 4-2 (15-13, 13-15, 11-15, 15-13, 15-12, 15-11) in a thrilling clash versus Japan in Sunday’s last Pool B match at 2017 FIVB Women’s U23 World Championship here in Ljubljana.
Silvana Chausheva (4th best scorer at 2015 FIVB Women’s U23 World Championship) and captain Gergana Dimitrova led the East Europeans with 18 and 17 points respectively while Japan’s captain Misaki Yamauchi contributed 15 kills for her squad.
All matches in Ljubljana are played under a
new scoring system currently being tested: a best-of-seven, 15-point set format.
There was not much to separate the two teams in the early stages of the match. Chausheva and Dimitrova led the Bulgarian offense while Japan’s Yamauchi fired widely for the Asian side. At 14-13, Miroslava Paskova made the difference with a blistering winner from the left to put up Bulgaria 1 set to nothing.
It remained a tough battle with both teams emphasizing their strengths. The Asians joined speed and combinations while the European side focused on height and power. The Japanese turned the tables in the second (15-13) and third set (15-11) before Bulgaria fought back bravely in the fourth period (15-13).
It was the turning point in Sunday evening’s roller-coaster match. The young Bulgarians kept the upper hand in the fifth (15-12) and sixth set (15-11), cruising to a hard-earned 4-2 victory.
Quick links - Volleyball:FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017
FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017 - ScheduleFIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017 - Teams
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