Before a roaring crowd of 10,474 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Aleksandar Nikolov rose to the occasion, leading Bulgaria to a historic first FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship semifinal appearance since 2006.
Despite being closely marked in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Nikolov found a way to score 29 points, guiding Bulgaria to a thrilling come-from-behind victory over World No. 4 USA, 21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13.
Nikolov thrived in the championship atmosphere, which inspired him and his teammates to rally after dropping the first two sets.
“Absolutely crazy. I can't believe it—it felt like a home game for both sides, which is incredible. I mean, we're in a country 20,000 kilometers away from home. Even more so for the US, and yet there are 10,000 people in the arena,” said Nikolov, who finished with 26 kills, two aces, and a block.
“What else can I say? It’s beautiful. Thanks to everyone who came out, and I’m looking forward to the semifinal. Let’s hope we have another battle there and can come out victorious.”
The 21-year-old also credited his teammates for helping him overcome a slow start.
“[I wanted it] incredibly bad,” said Nikolov. “After we were 2-0 down, I told the guys, ‘I’m going to get better. I’m going to come back in this game.’ They trusted me, and it worked out. We’re in the semifinals of the World Championship. I still can’t believe I’m saying it.”
With world No. 11 Bulgaria advancing to the Top 4 for the first time since winning bronze in 2006 in Japan—when the Nikolov brothers’ father, Vladimir, was still part of the national team—they now face Czechia in the semifinal on Saturday.
“The mindset is to come out more aggressive. Personally, for me, to play smarter, take better swings. We’re going to give it our absolute all,” he said, aiming for Bulgaria’s first finals appearance since their silver medal finish in 1970.
“We came here with few expectations, but now we have a shot at playing the final, which is our dream. We’re going to fight for that dream to the last point.”
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