The season for the women’s national volleyball team has officially come to an end, with our representative team ending the year with two of their three goals achieved.
Our “Lionesses” kept their place in the Nations League and managed to place 7th at Eurovolley 2023, but unfortunately, they failed in their attempts to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
On this occasion, coach Lorenzo Micelli gave an interview to BF Volleyball immediately after the end of the Olympic qualification in Tokyo, which ended with a 1:3 defeat for our team from Puerto Rico.
– Signor Micheli, what is your comment on the Olympic qualification tournament?
– The level was extremely high. We had to try. However, our most important goal was to get young female athletes into the national team. To include them, to integrate them. I wanted to see what the future of the women’s national team of Bulgaria looks like.
– Could the results have been better?
– We wanted them to be. We played a very good game against Argentina, which we lost in a tiebreak. In the last seconds, we didn’t do it. We also played great against the Olympic runner-up Brazil. Although no one expected it, we could win. And there we lost in five sets. We beat Peru – a rival weaker than us. Today we played Puerto Rico after five sets and about 20 hours since our last match. I couldn’t see the girls on the court. And the Olympic qualification is a very tough tournament in which you play seven times in 10 days. We tried to do our best. I was disappointed with our game today, but I understand it. Puerto Rico is certainly not the best team, and we did not play at our level. It was important to me that we check our target.
– How did the young people do?
– I took my notes. They all took a step forward in their development. I wanted to help them get ready for the new season. There is an excellent atmosphere in the team. But the level at which the tournament was in Tokyo is far from them for now. Clubs need to invest more time in girls to develop them.
– What is your overall comment on the marathon summer?
– Olympic qualification is only 10 percent of our season. If we had beaten Puerto Rico, it would have been great. Now we ended on a bittersweet note, but even when we left we knew what the goal was. 90 percent of the season is positive. I don’t want to blame anyone for today’s game. Just being tired is not an excuse. The important thing is that the girls began to learn to fight with stronger ones. We did our job in the League of Nations and the European Championship.
– What is the future of the women’s national team of Bulgaria?
– The first and very important thing it has is the atmosphere. The door is open to absolutely everyone. I want every competitor to be professional, to give her all, to know how to suffer, to know how to defend the national emblem. I have always been professional and I want those I work with to be as well.
– What’s next for you?
– I am returning to Italy to pack my bags for the winter and start a second season at Olympiakos. And next year we start preparations for the League of Nations. This will be the tournament in which Bulgaria will participate.
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