The first half of the Russian volleyball championship concluded with clearly defined leaders in both team competition and individual statistics. The reigning champion Zenit-Kazan is at the top of the standings, but individual metrics also highlight players from teams not at the very top of the table. Among the most discussed figures are the scorer Yuri Romano and the young Bulgarian setter Simeon Nikolov, each with their own role and influence on the game. This is evident from a publication on the Russian website BO Sport.

Romano leads scorers, Babkevich with most points per set

The leader in the list of the best scorers in the Super League is the Italian Yuri Romano from Fakel. The two-time world champion quickly adapted to the Russian championship and in the first half of the season recorded an average of 21.3 points per match and 5.82 points per set, with 51% attack efficiency. Romano had only two weaker matches ", against Gazprom-Yugra and Zenit-Kazan, but overall he was the main source of points for his team.

In terms of points per set, however, the Italian trails Vladislav Babkevich. The opposite hitter for Zenit Saint Petersburg scores 5.94 points per set, with his improvement from last season coming not from a larger volume of attacks, but from higher efficiency ", 56% realization. Babkevich also remains #1 in utility (+177), ahead of Romano (+158), which clearly shows how consistently and cleanly the Belarusian plays.

Simeon Nikolov ", the setter who makes it into the statistics

Against this backdrop, Simeon Nikolov occupies a different, yet extremely significant place in the statistics. The setter for Lokomotiv Novosibirsk does not compete with opposite hitters in terms of total points, but he is the highest-scoring setter in the championship, which in itself is a serious achievement for a player in this position.

Nikolov has 17 aces ", a high indicator for a setter, while also sharing first place in the number of service errors (65) with Yuri Romano. This clearly outlines his profile ", a player who takes risks on serve and seeks direct impact on reception. His service error percentage is 34.7%, which places him among players with the most aggressive approach in this element. Nevertheless, Nikolov remains valuable to his team, as he compensates for the risk with stable play at the net.

The best blocker in the championship is veteran Mikhail Shcherbakov from Gorky with 50 block points, but immediately after the leading middle blockers comes Simeon Nikolov. The Bulgarian has33 block points, which ranks him seventh in the overall standings and first among all setters, with an average of 0.63 blocks per set.

This is precisely where Nikolov fits most strongly among the elite ", as a setter who genuinely influences the game in this element and is part of the best team in the league for blocks per set ", Lokomotiv (3.02).

Yuri Romano and Simeon Nikolov are examples of two completely different roles within the same statistics. The Italian leads the scorers and carries the main attacking burden, while the Bulgarian setter establishes himself as the highest-scoring player in his position, with key influence through serving and blocking. This is precisely what makes Nikolov's presence among the statistical leaders so significant ", he is not #1 in points, but he is the #1 setter in terms of game impact.

photos: BO Sport andlokovolley.com