EuroVolleyM: Slovenia and Bulgaria meet in pivotal Pool B match
Preview
Part of the strong Pool B at the CEV EuroVolley 2021 Men, Slovenia and Bulgaria are set to meet on Tuesday in what’s arguably the most pivotal of the eight matches scheduled for the day after both teams endured setbacks earlier in the tournament.
Slovenians and Bulgarians approach their fourth pool match in Ostrava with two victories in three matches, trailing only undefeated leaders Italy, and another win should be enough to secure a spot in the Eight Finals.
The silver medalists of the 2019 EuroVolley, Slovenia was upset by hosts Czech Republic in their opening match in Ostrava. Since then, the team has showed signs of improvement, defeating Montenegro and Belarus in straight sets.
Toncek Stern“I feel like we’re approaching our best form, which is great considering our schedule. Our next matches, against Bulgaria and Italy, should demand more from us than our last opponents.”
Slovenia’s Opposite
With 30 points scored in the two matches he played, Stern is Slovenia’s top scorer in the tournament. Setter Gregor Ropret is another individual standout of the team, ranking second in setting efficiency with 63.64%.
Bulgaria, on the other hand, secured back-to-back victories against Montenegro (3-0) and the Czech Republic (3-2) before falling to Italy in four sets on Monday. The Bulgarians will have an almost immediate opportunity to bounce back against the Slovenians and will try to take advantage of it.
Outside hitter Martin Atanasov, the team’s top scorer with 47 points and the tournament’s second-best blocker with nine blocks, and setter Georgi Seganov, third in setting efficiency with 55.17%, will be instrumental to the team’s success.
The two teams have met before this season during the Volleyball Nations League and the Slovenians came out on top in straight sets.
