Bulgarian Superliga 2018-2019

Just like last year, I won't have much time to update the Bulgarian league but I will create a separate thread nevertheless for the old times' sake. And to prevent the league ending up in the Other European Leagues section

The 12 participants this season:

Neftochimik 2010 (Burgas) - REIGNING CHAMPION - 2019 CEV Champions League

Marek Union-Ivkoni (Dupnitsa)
Dobrudzha 07 (Dobrich)
CSKA (Sofia) - 2019 CEV ChallengeCup
Levski (Sofia) - 2019 CEV Challenge Cup
Minyor (Pernik)
Montana (Montana) - 2019 CEV Cup
Pirin (Razlog)
Cherno more (Varna)
Hebar (Pazardzhik)

Deya Volley (Burgas)

Dunav (Russe)

There are a few favourites but overall it should be more balanced than last year when Neftochimik 2010 dominated in the end. It also comes from the fact that the Bratoev twins are unavailable, Valentin moved to Japan, whereas Georgi is still recovering from a surgery and will return in the middle of January. I will try to post the rosters shortly, this is the least I could do even if I won't update much during the season. It will also be a record-breaking season due to the number of foreigners who have been recruited. Never before had so many foreigners played in our league in a single season.

Neftochimik 2010 Burgas

Head coach: Nayden Naydenov

Setters: Georgi Bratoev, Dimo Dimov, Lyubomir Agontsev

Opposites: Petar Hristov, Dmitriy Yakovlev

Attackers: Denis Karyagin (universal), Andrey Nikolov, Georgi Petrov, Alexander Simeonov, Saveliy Pozdnyakov

Middle blockers: Nikolay Kartev, Stoyan Samunev, Iliya Petkov

Liberos: Teodor Salparov, Martin Ivanov

Montana

Head coach: Daniel Peev

Setters: Sergey Andrievsky, Plamen Hristov

Opposites: Vitaliy Bondar, Antti Poikela (universal)

Attackers: Zlatko Kyossev, Martin Penev, Leon Tonchev

Middle blockers: Ivan Latunov, Borislav Nakov, Valentin Blaginov, Stefan Chavdarov

Liberos: Dobromir Ivanov, Kristiyan Petrov

Dobrudzha 07 Dobrich

Head coach: Plamen Hristov

Setters: Denimir Dimitrov, Viktor Kostadinov

Opposites: Velizar Chernokozhev, Petar Hristoskov

Attackers: Ivaylo Ivanov, Igor Antonyuk, Michal Moniek, Alexander Nikolov

Middle blockers: Svetoslav Arnaudov, Denis Chavdarov, Teodor Yordanov, Alexander Kordev

Liberos: Nikolay Todorov, Samuil Vasilev

Marek Union-Ivkoni Dupnitsa

Head coach: Viktor Karagyozov

Setters: Stilyan Asenov, Stefan Georgiev, Hristo Kostov

Opposites: Yves Mutabazi

Attackers: Kathberth Malinga, Stanislav Velichkov, Angel Velkov, Svetoslav Ivanov, Tsvetelin Tsvetanov

Middle blockers: Borislav Apostolov, Pavel Dushkov, Lyubomir Yankov

Libero: Georgi Mihaylov

CSKA Sofia

Head coach: Alexander Popov

Setters: Vladimir Stankov, Stefan Stoyanov

Opposites: Ventsislav Georgiev, Dimitar Dimitrov, Ivan Krachev

Attackers: Simeon Aleksandrov, Ivaylo Stefanov, Yani Georgiev, Plamen Shekerdzhiev, Galin Nikolov, Georgi Tatarov

Middle-blockers: Hristo Tsvetanov, Krasimir Gaydarski, Andrey Nikolov, Todor Kostov

Liberos: Martin Bozhilov, Valentin Peychev

Pirin Razlog

Head coach: Miroslav Zhivkov

Setters: Francisco Soteldo, Lyubomir Telkiyski

Opposites: Yordan Zhelyazkov, Dennis Nelson

Attackers: Blagovest Katrandzhiev, Georgi Elchinov (universal), Radoslav Popov, Petar Petrov, Ivan Velev, Todor Dimitrov

Middle blockers: Kostadin Gadzhanov, Martin Krastev, Petar Bachvarov, Miroslav Dimitrov

Liberos: Viktor Kopanarov, Hristo Kolev

Levski Sofia

Head coach: Vladimir Nikolov

Setters: Zhelyazko Apostolov (universal), Delcho Raev

Opposites: Smilen Mlyakov, Ivan Pankov

Attackers: Samuil Valchinov, Gordan Lyutskanov, Tsetsi Nikolovski, Trifon Lapkov

Middle blockers: Miloslav Dimov, Teodor Bogdanov, Mark McGivern

Liberos: Ivaylo Lalov, Damyan Kolev

Minyor Pernik

Head coach: Petar Dragiev

Setters: Pavel Ivanov, Alexander Petrov

Opposites: Lyuboslav Simeonov, Miroslav Petrov

Attackers: Plamen Dragiev, Kamen Kamenov, Yulian Petrov, Milan Milanov, Martin Pavlov

Middle blockers: Ivan Damyanov, Adrian Anachkov, Georgi Levenov

Liberos: Metodi Metodiev, Kristiyan Bogdanov, Antonio Miroslavov

Hebar Pazardzhik

Head coach: Atanas Petrov

Setters: Svetoslav Stankov, Ivan Stanev

Opposites: Spas Bayrev, Bradley Gunter

Attackers: Aleksandar Ljaftov, Iliyan Bozhkov, Martin Simeonov, Mikhail Nikkel

Middle blockers: Ivan Tasev, Stoyko Nenchev, Ventsislav Ragin, Georgi Chalakov

Liberos: Petar Karakashev, Dafin Kotsakov

Cherno more Varna

Head coach: Dimitar Pangarov

Setters: Azizbek Ismailov, Yoan Kairyakov, Georgi Botev

Opposites: Stefan Ivanov (universal), Milen Petkov (universal)

Attackers: Kaloyan Balabanov, Dimitar Vasilev, Emiliyan Georgiev (universal), Simeon Dimitrov

Middle blockers: Nikolay Kolev, Yordan Atanasov, Trayan Ivanov, Nikolay Mironov

Liberos: Martin Ivanov, Hristo Hristov

Dunav Russe

Head coach: Petar Shopov

Setters: Evgeni Grigorov, Konstantin Nechev

Opposites: Danail Milushev, Tsanko Tsankov

Attackers: Kostadin Stoykov (universal), Ivan Petrov, Angel Pavlov, Stoyan Vuldzhev

Middle blockers: Vasil Atanasov, Milen Minchev, Vladimir Hristov

Liberos: Anton Vasiliev, Simeon Dobrev

Deya Volley Burgas

Head coach: Vesela Bratoeva

Setters: Alexander Borisov, Nikola Kovachevski

Opposites: Georgi Petrov

Attackers: Miroslav Bratanov, Alexander Mitkov, Georgi Mihalev, David Krastev (universal), Stoyan Zlatev, Martin Hristov

Middle blockers: Ventsislav Trifonov, Kristoffer Petrov, Georgi Dimitrov

Libero: Hristo Velkov

Levski Sofia's two opposites, the veteran Smilen Mlyakov and the youngster Ivan Pankov, as well as their third alternative, the universal Junior NT player Zhelyazko Apostolov, got all injured weeks and days before the derby match (this week on Saturday) vs CSKA. This is why Levski's head coach, former NT member Vladimir Nikolov, applied for a player licence again and will return from retirement in order to help his team. Funny thing that it was exactly injured opposites which brought him back to the NT one last time for the home ECH in 2015. Even if he was among Bulgaria's best ever opposites, I don't see how he will get in shape in 3-4 days.

A few years since the project was launched in Pazardzhik, the local club Hebar achieved its greatest success by winning the Bulgarian Cup at home. Pazardzhik, an old and somehow flickering during the past decades volleyball school, have previously seen a Cup finalist and even a league winner (middle of the previous century) and now again enjoys volleyball in Bulgaria's highest tier and a historic success. The club relies heavily on outside reinforcement but I hope the project continues and they develop the youth/junior system just as well.

On Sunday, in the final, they defeated the previous Cup holder and reigning champion Neftochimik. The Burgas-based team relies heavily on Lukoil money and I can't say I am disappointed they lost the final due to remarkably wrong managerial decisions, weak head coach, transfers, money badly spent, players coming from or playing with an injury, arrogance, etc. Overall, fairness prevailed even if the experience was on the visitors' side.

Hebar - Neftochimik 2010 3-2 (27-25, 18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-7) highlights (Dailymotion)

This is the first trophy in the career of Hebar's young head coach Atanas Petrov who had managed female teams before accepting the position at Hebar. Also, a remarkable performance towards the end of the match by Bradley Gunter.

Finally, the league took advantage of DataVolley's projects and launched a separate, or at least a more detailed, statistics page, the same they use in Turkey. You can take a look here. It also has a separate section with team rosters which is the first ever complete set of players and their positions at one place apart from what I have tried to post here in the forum over the years. I haven't checked all rosters, yet the ones I did looked alright and finally correct and thorough. I know this is a small thing that normal leagues have had for granted, but it is a huge step ahead for the Bulgarian league and especially its governing body.

Otherwise, yesterday was the first of the best-of-5-series final matches between the new Cup holders and regular season winners Hebar from Pazardzhik and the defending champions with recently recruited NT players from Neftochimik 2010 Burgas. The score was 3-1 for the visitors from Burgas, here is the stats sheet. Today is the second match in Pazardzhik before they move for the next 2 games to Burgas (if two are needed).

Neftochimik 2010 from Burgas are the new Bulgarian champions. This is their 4th title overall and third in the last three years.

They won the final series quite dominantly 3-0 (wins) against Hebar, having dropped only a single set in the first match in Pazardzhik. A 3-0 away win in the second match was followed by a massacre in Burgas on Monday (25-23, 25-15, 25-12). Overall, Lukoil's money turned out to be much needed in order to make up for the dubious/sub-optimal pre-season selection and lack of form at the beginning of the season. Neftochimik finished the regular season 3rd but still won the play-offs after a run of 18 wins in 20 games (if I remember correctly). This is also the first title for head coach Nikolay Zhelyazkov who was hired to replace the inadequate Nayden Naydenov.

On the other hand, Hebar can be proud of the season they had. They clearly underpeformed in the finals but won the regular season and the Cup at home which is overall a great sign for their project.