Nicole Dankinova Represents Bulgaria at U21 Volleyball European Championships

PRINCETON, N.J. – Nicole Dankinova of the Princeton University women's volleyball team spent part of her summer representing the Tigers on the global stage, playing for the Bulgarian National Team at the U21 Volleyball European Championships.

"Being part of the Bulgarian national team is a huge achievement for me and feels like a recognition of the hard work my coaches and I have been putting in during the season," said Dankinova. "It's an honor to be able to represent my country and a great opportunity for me to become a better player and build my character!"

The Championships qualification rounds took place in Steinbrunn, Austria, at the State Sports Center VIVA.

"To have Nicole training with the Bulgarian National pipeline is such an incredible honor and benefit for her game," said Head Coach Sabrina King. "She is not only training with the best of the best in Bulgaria, but also competed against the best players in all of Europe. Sofia, Bulgaria was also a host city for both Women's and Men's VNL this year, so Nicole got to watch some great competition. Competing against and watching such high-level volleyball can only make her a better player and student of the game. We are very proud of Nicole's continued growth and commitment to the game."

Bulgaria competed in Group D, and in its opening match against Israel, a 3-0 (26-24, 25-14, 25-22) loss to, Dankinova had three kills, then followed with five kills in a 3-0 (25-23, 23-25, 25-10) win over the Faroe Islands. In Bulgaria's final match, it played Austria to three close sets at 3-0 (25-23, 29-27, 25-18) in a match where Dankinova finished with four kills.

Dankinova credits her time at Princeton with helping prepare her to represent her country.

"Princeton volleyball has been the best thing that has ever happened to me," proclaimed Dankinova. "I am forever grateful to my coaches for the time they have been investing into shaping us not only as better players, but as better people! My teammates are honestly some of the most amazing people and the environment we have in our gym encourages each of us to grow every day. I feel I have developed my game in all aspects since I came here last summer and, most importantly, my mentality as a teammate has tremendously changed for the better!"

Dankinova and the Tigers are coming off a 2021 season that saw them finish with a 16-6 record, a 10-4 record in Ivy League play, and five All-Ivy League honorees.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results