Spain end their campaign on a high with first victory

Spain are set to return home after their second appearance at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in good spirits after they took continental rivals Bulgaria down in their last match in Nakhon Ratchasima on Wednesday.

After displaying solid performances in their previous matches against Canada and Türkiye, the Spanish were finally able to capitalize on it and topped the Bulgarians 3-1 (25-22, 25-14, 22-25, 25-18) to exit the tournament on a high.

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The victory in the European Derby took Spain up to four points in the standings, getting them to finish pool play in third place in Pool E. Bulgaria earned no points in their three matches and ranked fourth.

Spanish captain and outside hitter Maria Segura led her team to victory with a match-high 17 points (14 kills, two aces, one block). Middle blockers Sofía Varela and Lola Hernández also had strong performances, adding 16 and 13 points, respectively.

“We came here to show who we are as a team,” Segura stated after the match. “It was a pity we couldn’t win against Canada because we played very well. We wanted to return home with a win and we were very determined to do it today. At this level, when we have the chance, we need to take it, and that’s what we did. I think we showed that we are a strong team and that we can play against anyone.”

Bulgaria had outside hitter Miroslava Paskova as their top scorer in their last match in Nakhon Ratchasima – she scored 15 points, with 13 kills and two blocks. Middle blocker Nasya Dimitrova had another good display, contributing 12 points, with ten kills and two aces.

The Spanish were better than their opponents in every area of the game on Wednesday, outscoring the Bulgarians in kills (50 to 46), blocks (13 to 11) and aces (11 to two), besides making fewer errors (20 to 23).

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship: full schedule and results

Earlier on Wednesday, Türkiye secured the first place in the pool ahead of the start of the elimination rounds by getting to nine points with a 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-13) victory over second-placed Canada.

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