Bulgarians Make Final Cut for Second Round of Women's Volleyball Championship

Lausanne, Switzerland, October 4, 2018 - The last four participants in the second round of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Japan became known on Thursday, as Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Mexico finished among the top four in their respective pool standings to stay alive in the competition.  In the most anticipated match of the day, where Bulgaria and Canada had to battle it out face to face for the last remaining Pool B spot, the European squad celebrated with a four-set victory after coming back from a set down. It was a very even fight, with both sides desperately seeking the way to the victory, but it was Bulgaria's better offensive effort, as well as coach Ivan Petkov's well-timed substitution and time-out decisions, that made the difference in favour of the Balkan Lionesses.  In Pool D, the Dominican Republic practically qualified for the second round as soon as one of their rivals, Puerto Rico lost in straight sets to Serbia in the early match in Hamamatsu, but then "returned the favour" to their Caribbean neighbours by shutting out and eliminating the third contestant, Kenya, out of the equation. With Yonkaira Paola Penya Isabel serving a smashing nine aces for a game-high total of 17 points, the Dominicans did so emphatically, by a tournament-high margin, allowing their African opponents to score only 27 points in the three sets combined.  While Serbia topped the final Pool D standings without dropping a single set along the way, the Dominican Republic, on a 3-2 record, made the cut as the third-placed team, and Puerto Rico, on 2-3, finished fourth.  In Pool A, Mexico failed to win a set in the early match of the day, as the Netherlands extended their winning streak to a perfect five-win count to top the...