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Austria and Bulgaria locked horns on day 2 of the action in Pool B in what was the first match for the Bulgarian Lions at the Qualifier in Hadera, Israel. Both teams fought hard for each ball following each other in the score many times, keeping the intrigue alive. However, the Bulgarian Lions showed better nerves in the decisive moments, and despite a tied score, grabbed the win at 3-1, starting their qualifying campaign in Pool B on a positive note. Bulgaria performed better on attack and at the serving line while Austria seemed to have found the key to success on the block in the second set but couldn’t get the best out of the situation.

• Alexander Tush and Niklas Kronthaler on the serve made it difficult for Bulgaria’s reception in the beginning but overall both teams were delivering an equal performance. Smart play by Martin Atanasov and 2 aces on serve by Todor Skrimov helped Bulgaria to open.
• Austria took control afterwards with excellent play on block (5 in the second set) but weren’t able to keep up at the same rhythm.
• Although Bulgaria had problems in reception, the players around Silvano Prandi took again the control and in the next two sets showed great skills on attack and serve.
• For the Bulgarian team, star Tsvetan Sokolov recorded 17 points, while for Austria Niklas Kronthaler scored 20.

On Thursday, Bulgaria meet the hosts from Israel (who already have one loss 0-3 in the tournament, from Austria), while the players of Radovan Gacic have a rest day.

"We played a very tough game against a strong opponent who played very well. They showed great skills in attack but we had to win, and I am glad that we managed to do so. We had problems in the second set, we made a lot of mistakes but we could find the balance, and improve our game in attack and on serve. Winning is important, but this is only our first victory. We have three other difficult games ahead and we need to improve our game. I am sure we will do it", Silvano Prandi, Head coach of Team Bulgaria said.

"Austria was a very strong opponent. To us, it was mandatory to win and this put a pressure on us. Tomorrow is another day, and we will have another challenge to overcome. We meet Israel and I believe we will play better than today", Tsvetan Sokolov, Captain of Team Bulgaria added.