Maritza conquers yet another national cup trophy

Maritza Plovdiv did not allow any surprises in this season’s national cup competition and picked up the Kupa Bulgariya trophy for the ninth consecutive and 11th overall time.

In Sunday’s final showdown at the Hristo Botev volleyball hall in Sofia, Bulgaria’s regular participant in the women’s CEV Champions League Volley hammered out a 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-21) shutout of Levski Sofia. The Yellow-and-Blues from Europe’s oldest living city were led by opposite Iva Dudova with a match-high 17 points, while the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to middle blocker Borislava Saykova, who raised five kill blocks, fired two aces and spiked at an impressive 78% success rate. Outside hitter Viktoria Koeva also reached the double digits with 10 points, all in swings.

Sunday’s final was the climax of a three-day eight-team Bulgaria Cup tournament that also featured Friday’s quarterfinals and Saturday’s semifinals. On the first day, Maritza swept their quarterfinal game against Minyor Pernik in straight sets and, on day two, they came back from a set down to beat CPVK Sofia in four sets.

“I am satisfied with the result. I want to congratulate all Maritza fans and thank everyone who came to support us. The team victory means much more than any individual awards. The award is recognition for the hard work and a job well done,” said MVP Saykova. “Now we have a few days of well-deserved rest and then we start preparing for the Champions League match against France’s Levallois Paris Saint Cloud on January 7, which is very important for us.”