28/11/2011 22:00
Maritza PLOVDIV back to the European Cups with a long-term vision
2012 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Women
Plovdiv, Bulgaria, November 28, 2011. Bulgaria’s only representative in this year’s women’s European Cups is ready to face this challenge for only a second time in its history. Maritza PLOVDIV has arrived in Wroclaw, Poland, to meet local Impel Gwardia in a second-round fixture of the 2012 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup with the clear knowledge that it is the underdog in this clash, but also with the clear long-term vision of the European-level team it wants to be in a couple of years.
With two of its most experienced players leaving the team before this season, head coach Ivan Petkov is facing the challenge of rebuilding a squad that is a strong blend of youth, talent and some experience.
Instead of attracting new players from outside, Bulgaria’s National Championship runner-up and National Cup finalist has dug into its own development program to add some junior national team members to its roster. With Maritza’s most experienced player – captain Diana Malinova, struggling to recover from an ankle injury, Ivan Petkov’s task against Impel Gwardia is even harder. “We are working on a team with a solid perspective for the future”, Petkov stated. “We have some young players with great potential that needs to be developed. Our participation in the Challenge Cup tournament is mostly motivated by our desire to get closer to the level of Volleyball we strive to play in the future. We need to gradually gain the necessary experience, so that in a couple of years we can be a seriously competitive team”.
However, Diana Malinova, who was recently voted BGvolleyball.com Best Female Volleyball Player of October, is slightly more optimistic about the short-term chances against the strong Polish side: “We have studied our opponents and we know them well – they are a strong team. To us, what is most important is to perform well, but I think we have our chances to come out on top”. The first-leg match between Impel Gwardia and Maritza kicks off tonight at 20:00 CET at the “Orbita” competition hall in Wroclaw.
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