Bulgaria’s run in Tournoi de France Men’s Volleyball Championship
The 2010 FIVB Men’s World Championship is just around the corner. The fascinating volleyball activity is scheduled to start on 25th September, 2010 in Italy. The participants of this campaign are sharpening their skills and getting prepared for
the big combat. In this connection, France hosted a three-day event last week. The Tournoi de France Men’s Volleyball Championship continued from 17-19 September in French city Dunkerque. Spain, Bulgaria, France and Argentina participated in the event.
First match – Bulgaria vs. Spain
The operations started in Stades de Flanres Sports Hall, Dunkerque with the first match between host France and Argetina on 17th September, 2010. In the following match, Bulgaria took on Spain for a nail-biter three-set match. Bulgaria appeared
on the scene as a victorious team but Spain created a lot of trouble for them. Bulgaria pulled off a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, and 25-21) victory in their first preliminary robin round match and created a strong impression with their incredible performance.
The Spaniards performed in a moderate way but couldn’t put up with the hard-hitting of Bulgaria. Ultimately they had to give- up and Bulgaria earned valuable points for winning the first pool play match.
Second match – Argentina vs. Bulgaria
The victorious Bulgarian team met with Argentina on the next day of the friendly tournament. Complexe Calipso in Calais hosted the second day matches. Bulgaria began the match with a first set victory over their opponents. They built an early lead and then
kept the Argentinean side under their influence. Team Argentina produced good attack attempts but they were equally justified by sensible Bulgarian players.
Somehow, Argentina managed to steal points and won the second set. The score was returned and the game was levelled at 1-1. The loss of the second set simply infuriated Bulgaria and they went on an all out attack. Line-shots, hard aces and powerful shots
helped them regain control of the game in the third set. They maintained their lead and kept on putting more pressure on the opposite side. Argentina failed to shake off Bulgaria’s influence and lost the third set.
The game plan worked and Bulgaria kept on bringing more diversity into their attack. The fourth set also ended in Bulgaria’s favour and they announced a 3-1 (25-20, 16-25, 25-19, and 25-21) victory.
Third match – Host team challenged visitors
The third day of the tournament brought France and Bulgaria for the final contest of the 3-day campaign. Bulgaria was happy with their previous performance but France proved to be a detractor for them and posted a shocking 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-22,
and 15-12) defeat. The first set belonged to Bulgaria as they outplayed France with an exhibition of an outstanding game. They actually moved in the right dimension by following their head coach’s instructions.
Bulgarian players produced flawless under-hand shots and caused enough damage to the opponents. France struggled to chase the score but Bulgaria quickly hit 25-23 on the points’ counter to finish the first set. After dropping the opening set, France drifted
under more pressure from the local audience. They had to win the second set in order to put a smile on their fans’ faces. The exchange of heavy volleys created frenzy in the second set. France slowly crept to the finish line and obtained a winning score of
25-21.
The game entered a third set and Bulgaria promptly bounced back. They followed a different approach and cruised past France with a 25-19 win. The situation remained un-decided and suspense prevailed on the whole scene. Different opinions floated in the air
but France killed the anxiety by achieving success in the last two sets. France declared a triumphant win in the last match and celebrated it with the fans.
Bulgaria won the first two matches but finished the friendly series with defeat. The two teams will meet again in the upcoming FIVB World Championship and will have a chance to settle scores.
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