Team USA captain Micah Christenson knows the future is bright for the Nikolov brothers of Bulgaria.
The 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in Manila has been nothing short of magical for Alex and Moni Nikolov of Bulgaria.
As they get the rare chance to share the world stage, the Nikolov brothers have been at the forefront of Bulgaria’s Cinderella run in the global showpiece, proving that they can keep up with the Goliaths of men’s volleyball even if they are among the youngest players in the tournament.
A crafty hitter with a powerful swing, 21-year-old Alex has emerged as Bulgaria’s main gunner, putting up 119 points (23.8) through five games to lead all scorers in the global showpiece as of writing.
Behind Alex’s high-scoring ways would be the world-class playmaking of 18-year-old Moni, who is averaging 32.20 excellent sets per match on a 40.45 percent success rate as Bulgaria’s lead setter.
And on Thursday, September 25, the brothers came up huge once more as Bulgaria took down Team USA in a thrilling 21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13 reverse sweep to book their ticket to the semifinals this Saturday, September 27.
‘It’s awesome’
Bulgaria’s epic reverse sweep over Team USA on Thursday saw a tournament-high 29 points for Alex Nikolov, with 22 alone coming in the final three sets against the Americans. Moni, meanwhile, tossed up 48 excellent sets on 42.20 percent efficiency as he and Bulgaria successfully overcame their opening jitters.
No less than Team USA captain Micah Christenson was in awe of the Nikolov brothers’ show of excellence. Having seen their play firsthand, Christenson knows that Alex and Moni have done both their country and family proud throughout their journey in Manila.
“I mean, it’s really cool! I was thinking about this earlier in the tournament, that how cool is it that these two brothers are playing together on the national team!” Christenson said. “They’re so young, they’re going to grow together and they’ve obviously already grown up together playing.”
Being a devout family man, Christenson sees his two sons, Zeke and Quinn, in Alex and Moni.
“Being a father of two sons, it’s really cool to see them excelling on the world stage. They’re both very, very good in their own right, both individually and as a pair,” continued the Team USA captain. “Being the old guy and being the father that I am, having two sons, it’s really cool to see the relationship that they have. I’m sure their parents must be really proud of them.”
Christenson also had some encouraging words toward Alex as they shared an intimate hug after the game.
“I was giving him a lot of credit. I don’t think he needed to blossom anymore since he’s already an amazing player, but this tournament he’s really kind of taken over,” Christenson said of the older Nikolov. “So just giving him credit where credit is due because he’s been carrying his team quite a bit.”
For his part, the younger Moni cherished the opportunity to face Christenson as a fellow setter.
“You can learn so much from this guy, he’s the best setter and I had the opportunity to play against him twice in friendlies. I was analyzing his game, he’s just super, super good and I want to reach his level; even beating him is something I will never forget,” Moni said.
Images courtesy of Volleyball World.