Imagine being just seventeen and already playing professional volleyball—an incredible feat accomplished by Simeon Nikolov. While many Olympic volleyball athletes are in their twenties or thirties, Nikolov stands out as a starter for the Bulgarian national team in the pivotal role of setter, arguably the most challenging position on the court. The setter serves as the crucial link between passers and hitters, making their touch on the ball essential for the team’s success. It’s already impressive enough to make a college or varsity team, but being selected for the national squad in Europe, where volleyball is fiercely competitive and structured, elevates his achievement even further. Nikolov’s skills and dedication have propelled him as a dominant figure within the sport.
Simeon Nikolov was born on November 24, 2006 in Sofia, Bulgaria, the capital of Bulgaria. Simeon’s father, Vladimir Nikolov, also has a notable background in professional volleyball, having played for the Bulgarian men’s national team, Levski Sofia in 2008 and 2012, and the VNL. His legacy in the sport has undoubtedly influenced Simeon’s remarkable journey in volleyball.
Vladimir Nikolov was born on October 3, 1977 in Sofia, Bulgaria as well. His first season playing in Levski Sofia, the cities’ European team, was in the 1995 to 1996 seasons, meaning he was only eighteen years old when playing. Vladimir played as a Opposite Hitter which is also a challenging position which has a close relationship with the setter. Simeon also has a brother named Aleksander Nikolov who was born on November 30, 2003 and played on Levski Sofia on the 2018 to 2019 volleyball season at fifteen years old as an Outside Hitter, which is the hardest hitter position in volleyball in a lot of aspects. Meaning that Simeon has a rich volleyball background with a brother who is also a volleyball prodigy and a father that played professionally and was head coach of Levski Sofia’s volleyball team for a short period of time, that is until he got promoted.
Levski Sofia is the most prominent sports club in the capital of Bulgaria which consists of a football (soccer), basketball, and volleyball team. Levski Sofia was founded in 1911, named after Vasil Levski, the national hero of Bulgaria. The sports club is one of not many sports clubs in Europe. However it is one of the most prominent due to being one of the first sports clubs to be granted champion in three of the club’s sports: volleyball, basketball, and athletics. In the 1963 to 1964 European championship, Levski Sofia’s women’s volleyball team won, being the first European volleyball team to win the championship. Currently the head coach of the team, Andrei Zhekov, a Bulgarian national champion in volleyball. But once used to be Simeon’s dad, Vladimir Nikolov.
Simeon Nikolov has had a good career so far being part of three seasons in national volleyball. Simeon played in Levski Sofia for 4 years in the 2021 to 2022 season and the 2023 and 2024 season in the U19 team. This year Simeon is moving to the USA to join the Long Beach College volleyball team, joining the famous Mason Briggs in the 2024 to 2025 season. To which Simeon’s brother also played in Long Beach in 2022 but moved to Italy, planning to join the volleyball team of Cucine Lube Civitanova until 2028. Despite that, Simeon cooked up a storm in the nationals from it being his first year in the VNL (Volleyball Nationals League.) Many people are hearing about him for the first time in the VNL and are impressed by Simeon due to his age. Simeon’s first point in the VNL is inhuman. Instead of setting it, he fakes it, hitting the ball in a sharp angle at about one hundred miles per hour straight down. — What a way to start off his VNL volleyball career! Currently, Simeon has played in a few more games in the VNL, both winning and losing some.
Simeon Nikolov is a one in a million volleyball prodigy, entering the VNL at only 17. His life required a lot of discipline due to his family’s high volleyball status. He also has a rich family volleyball history which led him to get very good, very quickly at a young age. Simeon’s accomplishments are a new feat in the volleyball and the athletic world, shaking up the heights people can push. This will influence ordinary people to follow in his footsteps and maybe someday accomplish what he has in their lives as well. Observing how good he will perform at the Long Beach College volleyball team here, in the USA.