site.btaAleksandar Nikolov Named Player of the Week in FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2026

Bulgarian national volleyball player Aleksandar Nikolov was named Player of the Week after the opening week of the Volleyball Nations League. The outside hitter of Italy's Lube Civitanova was the top scorer after the first four matches, with 96 points, of which 87 from attack.

"Aleksandar Nikolov lit up Week 1 with his scoring power, fearless attacking and standout performances, helping Bulgaria make a strong start to their campaign," the Volleyball Nations League wrote on its Facebook page on Tuesday.

Nikolov's efforts helped Bulgaria record two wins in their first four matches in the tournament, defeating Iran and Argentina. The national team lost to Belgium and Serbia.

The Volleyball Nations League 2026 features 18 national teams with each of them playing a minimum of 12 matches.

In the Preliminary Phase, each participating team will play 12 matches spread across three competition weeks. The top eight teams will advance to the Final Phase (quarterfinals). The national team of the hosting territory of the event (China) will have a guaranteed berth for the Final Phase.