Plamen Konstantinov's Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) suffered a heavy 0:3 (20:25, 17:25, 14:25) defeat to Zenit (Kazan) in a group stage match of the "Final Six" for the Russian Cup. After the game, the Bulgarian specialist did not hide his disappointment with the team's performance, admitting that the lack of readiness was evident from the very first rallies.
"On the contrary, in my opinion, everything is logical. Kazan had time to rest because they finished their final series in three matches. We played tough series both in the semifinals and in the battle for bronze medals. This has an impact. Today, it seems to me that even in their minds, the players had taken a day off after yesterday's victory over Dinamo-LO," stated Konstantinov, quoted by BO Sport.
The coach of the Novosibirsk team also drew attention to personnel problems in the squad. According to him, some of the main players were playing with physical issues.
"Kazachenkov has back problems. Omar also has back issues, and this was the first match we decided to play him in. Voronkov has a thigh strain – I didn't even want to use him today. The most important match is the day after tomorrow. I hope we reach the semifinals," added the Bulgarian coach.
Particularly indicative of what happened on the court was the block statistics – Zenit won this element by an impressive 12:1.
The difference in blocking perfectly illustrates Zenit's total superiority in this match. Lokomotiv failed to find rhythm in either attack or serving, and reception problems further facilitated Kazan. Konstantinov himself admitted that his team did not outperform their opponent in any element.
"Attack – the same. Serve-reception – the same. In which element were we better? In none," he added.
According to the Bulgarian specialist, accumulated physical fatigue also plays a significant role, especially for volleyball players who rely primarily on explosiveness and physical power.
"There are players who can compensate for fatigue with technique and a rich arsenal. And there are those who depend on their jump, strength, and speed. When fatigue accumulates, they cannot compensate for it," commented Konstantinov.
Despite the heavy loss, Lokomotiv still has a chance to qualify for the semifinals. For this to happen, Zenit (Kazan) must not lose to Dinamo-LO by 0:3 or 1:3 in the match between the two teams on May 14th.