Venezuela defeats Bulgaria and qualifies for U-17 Volleyball World Cup quarterfinals

Venezuela's U-17 men's volleyball team has achieved a historic milestone, securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Championship after a dramatic comeback victory against Bulgaria. The Venezuelan squad triumphed 3-2 in a thrilling match, overcoming an initial deficit to secure their place in the next round of the tournament held in Qatar.

Bulgaria took an early lead, winning the first two sets with scores of 30-28 and 25-17. However, Venezuela demonstrated remarkable resilience, fighting back to claim the third and fourth sets 25-19 and 25-18, respectively. This forced a decisive fifth set, where Venezuela ultimately prevailed with a 15-12 victory, sealing their advancement.

Benjamín García emerged as Venezuela's top scorer in the match, tallying 20 points and surpassing his teammate Diego Rondón. Both players have been instrumental throughout the tournament, with García accumulating 52 points and Rondón 63 points across their matches against Qatar, Tunisia, France, and Bulgaria.

This victory marks a significant achievement for Venezuela in their debut at the U-17 Volleyball World Championship. They now join other South American powerhouses like Argentina, who also advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Italy 3-1. Brazil is set to play India, with the winner facing Venezuela in the next round. France and Iran have also secured quarterfinal berths, setting the stage for exciting matchups in the ongoing tournament.

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Although the Venezuelans were coming off losing two of their three matches in the group stage and qualified as one of the best thirds, they returned to the path of victory by winning 3-2.