--- title: "Drama in the tie-break: Ukraine lost to Bulgaria in the Nations League but retained their elite position" description: "Ukrainian volleyball players lost to Bulgaria in five sets but kept their chances in the 2026 Nations League. Anna Artishuk was the best player of the match, and controversial refereeing influenced the course of the game. πŸπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦" date: 2026-06-21T13:02:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-loses-to-bulgaria-in-volleyball-nations-league-2026-en tags: [] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Drama in the tie-break: Ukraine lost to Bulgaria in the Nations League but retained their elite position ![Ukraine's national volleyball team supports each other after a dramatic loss to Bulgaria in the Nations League tie-break](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/21/ukraina-proigrala-bolgarii-v-voleybole-lyga-natsii-2026/ukraina-proigrala-bolgarii-v-voleybole-lyga-natsii-2026-1.webp) The Ukrainian women's volleyball team suffered their third consecutive defeat in the 2026 Nations League. In a tense match on the second week of the tournament, the Ukrainians lost to the Bulgarian team in five sets but managed to keep their spot in the survival zone. ### Five-set thriller and tie-break drama The match between the teams turned into a real battle for survival in the elite. The opening set was evenly contested, but the Bulgarians proved stronger in the end, taking the lead with a score of 25:22. The team led by head coach Yakub Hlushak managed to seize the initiative and win the next two sets with scores of 25:19 and 25:21, taking the lead in the overall count. However, in the fourth set, the Ukrainians failed to cover the opponents' diagonal. The Bulgarian volleyball players effectively used the tactic of soft shots, which led to a confident victory in the set with a score of 25:15. The decisive fifth set turned into a nervous struggle where neither team trailed the opponent by more than one point. The Ukrainian athletes saved two match points, but the Bulgarians snatched victory on the third attempt, ending the match with a score of 17:15. ### Heroes and match statistics The most productive player in the Ukrainian national team was Anna Artishuk. She scored 22 points, showing her best result in the current season. Among the winners, Merelin Nikolova stood out, with 16 points to her credit. After the final whistle, Anna Artishuk expressed pride in the team, noting that the girls fought as one player but failed to finish their attacks in the decisive moments. Head coach Yakub Hlushak, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with the result. He emphasized that the opponents' constant dumps psychologically "knocked out" the Ukrainian team. ### Controversial episode and the influence of refereeing A controversial refereeing decision caused particular emotional tension in the match. In the fourth set, with the score at 10:7 in favor of Bulgaria, setter Laura Savcheva served. The referees initially awarded the point to Ukraine, detecting a hold by a Bulgarian player. However, according to volleyball rules, challenges for holding the ball are not provided. Under active pressure from the Bulgarian side, the referee reviewed the video replay and changed the decision in favor of the opponents. This incident reminded of the situation in the match between the Netherlands and Poland, where the referees ignored the Dutch players' calls to review the decision regarding Sara van Allen's two-handed hit. ### Week results and future plans Thanks to the point earned in the tie-break, Ukraine maintains an intermediate position in the survival zone, ahead of Bulgaria. Meanwhile, in the tournament, Belgium achieved a comeback victory over France with a score of 3:2, leaving the French women at the bottom of the table. The schedule for the day of play also includes matches between Canada β€” Poland, Italy β€” Japan, Germany β€” Brazil, Thailand β€” Netherlands, and Turkey β€” China. The Ukrainian national team will start the final week of the Nations League on July 8 with a match against the strong Italian team. In total, the Ukrainians have four more matches to play before the end of the main round.