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The Cuban men's volleyball team got off to a great start in their final week of competition in the preliminary round of the 2025 Nations League (VNL), winning a dramatic five-set match against Bulgaria on Wednesday: 23-25, 25-16, 23-25, 27-25, and 15-13.
The meeting took place in the Polish port city of Gdansk, where the Cubans showcased both offensive and defensive strength, keeping them alive in the fight for qualification to the final round.
With this result, the Antilleans have a record of five wins and four losses, currently holding the seventh place in the overall standings, according to the Cuban News Agency.
An epic comeback from the blockade and the attack
Under the technical direction of Jesús Cruz, the Cuban team demonstrated superiority in offense (63-53) and blocking (19-11), two key factors in turning the score around in the final sets. Although they made more unforced errors than their opponents (34-26) and were behind in aces (4-6), the offensive power of their key players tipped the balance in their favor.
Marlon Yant shone as the top scorer of the match with 23 points (18 attacks, 3 blocks, and 2 aces), tied with Bulgarian Aleksandar Nikolov.
They also highlighted the tireless Robertlandy Simón, who scored 19 points, made 13 attacks, and had 6 blocks; José Massó (16 points, 5 blocks); Javier Concepción (15 points, 3 blocks); and José Miguel Gutiérrez (11 points, 2 aces, and 2 blocks).
Other significant contributions came from the bench with Bisset (3/3 attacks) and the libero Camino, who recorded 34 receptions and 3 digs, although he made 4 errors.
Errors to correct and rivals ahead
Despite the good result, the Caribbean players will need to fine-tune several technical aspects. They missed a total of 27 serves and made reception and attack errors that nearly cost them the match. Among the most erratic were Massó (six failures), Gutiérrez (six), and Simón (four).
Cuba will face the host nation Poland this Thursday, France on Friday, and will conclude the week against China on Sunday, in a decisive week to secure its spot in the final stage of the tournament.
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