The first British men's volleyball team to take part in the Olympics began their uphill campaign with a not unexpected straight-sets defeat to Bulgaria but achieved the secondary objective of proving they can mix it with the top nations in the sport.

The Team GB volleyballers, one of several scratch squads pulled together for the home Olympic Games in pursuits where the country has little or no tradition and would otherwise never qualify, lost 18-25, 20-25 and 24-26.

It was a hugely creditable performance against a nation ranked ninth in the world – GB are officially 92nd, alongside the likes of Belize and just below Haiti – who have their own professional league.

The British players have spent the past few years mainly scattered about other leagues in continental Europe, scraping together a living after the bulk of the sport's funding was slashed in 2010.

Despite the lack of domestic tradition, Team GB were rapturously received in the specially-erected 15,000-seat arena inside Earls Court in west London, which was full aside from the by now ubiquitous empty block of best seats reserved for the Olympic "family". A small knot of Bulgarian fans tried to compete with the home fans.

Perhaps mindful that few British supporters would be experts, the game was preceded by a video explaining volleyball's basic points, as well as a large amount of mood stirring and audience participation based around cheery rock tunes.

The British squad, notably the towering attack duo of Dami Bakare and Mark Plotyczer and the captain, Ben Pipes, pushed the Bulgarians hard, especially in the final set but often seemed tense at vital points.

Bakare conceded that the occasion got to him. "I had to contain myself walking out," he said. "I tried not to smile, not to get too overwhelmed with the atmosphere, the situation before the game. We talked about it in the locker room – guys, we're going to be making history. We want to show we're here on merit, rather than just being allowed in as hosts.

"We wanted to prove that we've got the players to compete. We know from our training that we're a good standard."

Bulgaria were just too good and too experienced, he conceded. "They're a big team. They seem to get their hands on everything. We needed the belief we could finish it. My heart was pounding when I thought, this is the point that could win it for us."

The men's result was notably better than that achieved on Saturday by the British women in their debut in a sport which has been in the Olympics since 1964, the women losing to Russia 19-25, 10-25, 16-25. Both teams look unlikely to achieve their stated goal of reaching the next round, which necessitates finishing in the top four of their six-team groups.

The men have had the more stable buildup to the tournament. After losing their funding the women's squad kept going only through such ruses as staging a mass sponsored bike ride from Sheffield to London and spending a summer lodged for free at a fire service training centre.

Later on Sunday, two other somewhat cobbled together men's teams are in action. The first GB handball players to take part in the Olympics take on France and the water polo squad play Romania, the first British participation since 1956.