Straight set wins in Pool C on second day of FIVB World League

(BEIJING, June 15) -- Bulgaria beat European champion Spain 33-31, 25-19, 25-17 in Varna, Bulgaria, on June 14, to kick off their FIVB World League 2008 campaign. In other Pool C play, the United States finished a two match sweep of Finland with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 victory.

Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov was among the 5,300 spectators in attendance at the Palace of Culture and Sports on Saturday. After a tight first set, Bulgaria took control of the match, winning the second and third set with ease. Matey Kaziyski was the top scorer with 17 points.

The Americans three set victory comes after a four set victory on the first day of play on Friday. Both matches were played in Finland.

"This weekend we faced really a strong team. We had problems with their serves. We must work with our reception much more," said Finish captain Mikko Esko. "We had also black moments when we made a lot of mistakes. However there were some good moments too."