The Red Dragons won their very first match ever in the Volleyball Nations League. In Brasília, Brazil, Belgium fought back from losing the opening set to beat Bulgaria and secure a historic 1-3 victory. The set scores were 25-20, 24-26, 24-26 and 23-25.

Belgium started its first-ever match on the highest annual international stage with Ferre Reggers, Stijd D’Hulst, Lennert Van Elsen, Basil Dermaux, Sam Fafchamps, Pierre Perin and libero Gorik Lantsoght.

The first Belgian point in Volleyball Nations League history came from Sam Fafchamps, who immediately delivered a superb kill block. In the opening set, the teams were level up to 5-5, before Bulgaria first created some separation at 8-11. Belgium struggled to contain Bulgaria’s strong attacking play and was constantly trailing. Inspired by star player Aleksandar Nikolov, the Bulgarians scored with great efficiency. Belgium never fully settled its block-defense organization and had to concede the first set 20-25.

In the second set, the Dragons came out sharper after the break. Once again, it was Fafchamps who opened the scoring, this time with an ace. D’Hulst also scored immediately, giving Belgium an early 2-0 lead. The service pressure stepped up a notch and, led by Ferre Reggers, Belgium created its first gap at 8-5.

The Dragons controlled their game better and increasingly managed to win tough rallies. Bulgaria was forced into a timeout at 13-10. However, via Nikolov and Petkov, the Bulgarians drew level again at 17-17, after which head coach Emanuele Zanini called his team to order.

Asparuhov then served Bulgaria into a 17-20 lead, but the Belgians refused to give in. They fought back to 21-21 and an ace from D’Hulst put Belgium back in front. At 24-23, Belgium earned its first set point. That one was saved, but the second chance was the one that counted. Basil Dermaux finished the set and tied the match again: 1-1 after 26-24.

For the third set, Zanini brought on Wout D’Heer for Lennert Van Elsen. Belgium started strongly with a spectacular rally finished by the Dragons, but had to chase again in the early stages. Bulgaria moved ahead to 2-5, although Belgium erased that deficit immediately.

The rest of the set was extremely close. At 11-13, Bulgaria seemed ready to open up another gap, but Belgium responded well. Inspired by an outstanding Dermaux and backed by solid defense, the team fought back to 16-16.

The Dragons kept performing at a high level and stayed on level terms deep into the set. Bulgaria applied a lot of serving pressure, but paid a heavy price for it. In the third set alone, the Bulgarians committed eight service errors.

At 24-23, Ferre Reggers earned Belgium its first set point with a powerful pipe attack. As in the second set, the second chance was the right one. After a brilliant save by libero Gorik Lantsoght, Pierre Perin finished the decisive attack and put Belgium 1-2 ahead with 24-26.

The fourth set brought a difficult moment for the Red Dragons. On a block play at 2-1, Basil Dermaux landed awkwardly and injured his knee. He was replaced by Seppe Rotty.

Despite that setback, Belgium kept serving brilliantly. Perin added another ace to his tally and the Dragons made life extremely difficult for Bulgaria from the service line. At 7-5, Belgium had already used all its challenges, meaning no more video reviews were possible for the rest of the match.

Both teams produced many service errors, which kept the margins very small. With strong attacks on both sides, the score remained extremely tight. Belgium erased a deficit and drew level again at 13-13.

Fafchamps increasingly found his rhythm and helped the Dragons take their first lead of the set: 13-15. Shortly after, Perin extended the gap to 13-16 with another ace.

Bulgaria refused to surrender and came back to 18-18, but Belgium stayed calm. A powerful attack from Reggers pushed the Dragons toward victory at 20-22. At 23-24, Belgium earned its first match point. Nikolov saved that one too, but Belgium finished the job at the next opportunity.

The Red Dragons thus made history with their first-ever win in the Volleyball Nations League.

Belgium’s top scorer was Pierre Perin with 15 points. Basil Dermaux added 14 points, while Ferre Reggers recorded 11.

Final score:
Bulgaria – Belgium 1-3 (25-20, 24-26, 24-26, 23-25)
Belgium:
Reggers (11), D’Hulst (2), Van Elsen (1), Dermaux (14), Fafchamps (8), Perin (15) and libero Lantsoght.Subs: Baetens, Rotty (3), Valkiers, D’heer (3).

Pierre Perin reaction
“I knew from the start that there were opportunities. Today we made VNL history. Despite difficult moments, we never gave up and kept pushing. We kept believing, and this was the best way to debut. This is what we dreamed of. Tomorrow will not be easy, but against Brazil too, the match starts at 0-0.”

Emanuele Zanini reaction
“First of all, I am very happy with this victory. The players showed the right attitude, with excellent serving and strong defense. We have our own strength and identity as a team, and we definitely showed that today. Our technique and dynamic play allow us to adjust quickly during matches and surprise opponents. That paid off today, even after Dermaux went off injured.”

“We may not have the same physical height as Bulgaria, but with our style of play we can compensate for that.”

“This is my first time in Brazil. I’ve already been to many places in the world, from Canada to Australia, but I had never been here before. I’m looking forward to playing in a hall full of emotion, in front of what will surely be passionate Brazilian supporters.”