Bulgaria🇧🇬 vs. Germany🇩🇪 - Highlights | Week 3 | Women's VNL 2026

Can they set the record straight and finish with another win? Lina Altsmaier sends it straight into the willing hands. What a great block that is. Kaja Nikova, she was well advanced and the ball just flew past her into position five. Lina Altsmaier, one of the top servers in the world. Germany need her. Ashkuleva got there but couldn't get the ball going in the right direction. Great window to hit. Good block off the back of it. Kinderman and Pfeffer doing a great job linking up together. Up and down. Some good exciting rallies. Lovely swing Kinderman. Bulgaria need to look towards the European Championships. Rebuilding because there's an automatic place there for the winners just because Italy are there. Turkey, oh that's coming back over from Milano. Strava, nicely put away. Chekholyaev. Chekholyaev has just connected so sweet with that set. Can't say their VNL status but it can build confidence, build that belief that they can be back. They belong at this top table of international volleyball. Nice swing there from Pfeffer looking to the man aboard at the moment. Another great pickup by Ashkuleva. Even she can't get there though. Strava continues on this serve rotation. That's coming straight back over. Switch of angle. Jojanova takes it well. Who's going to get there? Anca Todorova still in play and there's why. Pfeffer, what a great piece of transition work by Germany. Take that. This is just going to have to go over. Didn't tee that up from the reception and then Jojanova didn't get that through either. So Kinderman will try a little tip. Well read again but the block in the end. Chekholyaev waiting and hanging and that has just gone long and that means Germany take the first set 25-20. Very calm straightforward performance. Here we are for set two in Belgrade in 2026. Sarah Strava on serve and that's a lovely swing. Gnanova straight into the action. Gnanova, Stojanova, Milanova for Bulgaria. That's a wonderful block. Gnanova is absolutely flying. Top score in the match. What a great reception that is by Cezar. That's still in it. Let's see what the Bulgaria can take advantage. My word if Dandeli Santadeli is watching that he'll be out of his seat. Another brilliant block. Chekholyaev. Lovely pickup from Cezar to get that started. Look at how early Chekholyaev committed. Gnanova can't get that one through. Kinderman has to put that just over. So chance now. Great dig. Cezar. One more and we're still in play. Great rally. Still up. Block was up. No way. Wonderful by Großer. Again and again. Love this from Großer. So much scramble play from both teams but neither could really move. Milanova. Nice switch of play. Oh down the line is it? Yes. Stojanova. No wonder she's playing for one of the top Italian clubs. Wonderful range. Really nice pass from Milanova. Right back from Germany. Looking almost cross-court and then sends it down the line. What a serve. Beautiful. Huge stuff. Anastasia Chekholyaev. From one side of the court to the other but the double block is there. Fefer and Alsmaier. Strabo. Doesn't go middle. Goes Kinderman and that's good enough. Chekholyaev on court as well. Libero there. Oh so nice from Lina Alsmaier. Strabo has a look. It's back in court but it'll be a free ball and Strabo's in position A. And the person you want next to you in the middle attack. Chekholyaev slams it down. 25-20. Job done. Germany lead by two. Just as in the first set and this is how they did it again. Cesar, Strabo and they're just waiting in system. Strabo. Saw the hole. Chekholyaev rising exactly as Strabo intended. They know what they're doing. They've got this on memory, on speed dial. Pashkulova keeping it in play. Perfectly placed and then cross-court. Expertly played by Stoyanova. Really nice pickup from Pashkulova. Seeming to come out of nowhere to pick that one up. Great effort from Kinderman. 13 points to her name. Top score up. Get some points and what do we reckon now? Yes net touch. There we go. We're making too many mistakes. Not much wrong with that. Nothing wrong with that. She's absolutely in the running to be MVP. 14 points inspiring her fellow middle blocker on her 21st birthday. Lovely swing. Kosteva. Nothing like game time to improve confidence. She's ready for Strava. No, we're going middle block or middle attack rather. Veneva trying to just pop it over. What do you reckon? A huge attack through the middle. If you're a fan of Busto Asuzio in the Italian League Volleyball you're going to look forward to seeing her next season. That's a wonderful swing and straight away the ball is directed the serve straight to Timur, the new player. Cesare is ready once more. Alzmaier has sent that long. No block touch. You normally tell the reaction. Oh she was almost going for it again I think wasn't she? Lots of tips over the net and then Tabachuks comes for her first swing and has that got a touch? It hasn't. Milanova looks towards the coach. The referee said straight away that's out. So here's a look at it and that's an unsuccessful challenge. Bulgaria as we wait to see whether Tabachuks can close this out. Oh what a block. No there's only one person who's going to close it. That's Shekelaev. One of our players to watch and she's lived up to that billing.