Lokomotiv Novosibirsk played one of their weakest matches since the start of the season, but still managed to escape with an away victory against MGTU, who are last in the standings. The match could easily have ended in defeat for Plamen Konstantinov's team, if not for their experience and full concentration in the decisive moments.
Novosibirsk did not find their rhythm in almost any element m neither the block nor the serve worked, and especially not the attack. Against them stood an extremely concentrated and motivated opponent who, with a strong serve, broke their reception and made the task of setter Moni Nikolov extremely difficult.
Match Development
The match started with a slight advantage for the visitors, who led 6:3, 8:4, and 9:5. However, a strong service run followed for the hosts, and MGTU turned the score to 9:10. The "Students" managed to maintain a fragile lead until 14:15, after which Lokomotiv took the initiative and with immense effort, broke the resistance. At 21:20 for the hosts, two errors cost them the set, and Kazachenkov closed the set on his second attempt.
The second set began with MGTU's dominance. The hosts once again strengthened their serve, scored an ace, and pulled ahead 5:2. Until the end of the set, Lokomotiv never managed to take the lead, despite Plamen Konstantinov's frequent double substitutions in an attempt to change the course of the game. MGTU leveled the score after four aces and a more stable attack.
The third set was entirely even m 7:7, 11:11, 12:12, 14:14, 20:20, 21:21, 22:22, and 23:23. Kazachenkov brought the first set point for Lokomotiv, and the end came after a block m an element that generally wasn't working for Novosibirsk in this set.
In the fourth set, the initiative was again with the hosts, who led almost the entire time. Lokomotiv, with last-ditch efforts, reached 22:23, but Kazachenkov made a service error, and MGTU capitalized and equalized, pushing the match into a tie-break.
The Decisive Tie-break
Under the threat of losing against the last-placed team, Lokomotiv came out extremely motivated in the tie-break and played as they do against strong opponents. The block and attack started working, and the score quickly became 8:4 and 11:5. A three-point run followed for MGTU, the first of which was an ace, forcing Konstantinov to call a timeout. The run stopped at 11:8 after a host error and a Lokomotiv block for 13:8. Kazachenkov brought the first match point, Moni Nikolov made a service error, but in the next rally, Kurbanov closed the set and the match.
Result and Scorers
MGTU
m Lokomotiv Novosibirsk
m 2:3
(21:25, 25:20, 23:25, 25:23, 10:15)
The top scorers for the hosts were Korotaev with 24 points, Shkredov with 18, and Filippov with 11. For Lokomotiv, Kazachenkov scored 23 points, Kurbanov added 18, and Kurkaev finished with 10.
Simeon Nikolov finished with a "modest" 3 points, -1, 1 ace, 1 block.
Team Statistics: MGTU
m Lokomotiv Novosibirsk
| Category | MGTU | Lokomotiv Novosibirsk |
|---|---|---|
| Total Points | 104 | 108 |
| Attack (%) | 52% | 57% |
| Aces | 8 | 8 |
| Blocks | 9 | 14 |
| Reception (%) | 31% | 33% |
| Errors | 26 | 28 |
Statistically, Lokomotiv has a slight but important advantage in key elements. Better attack efficiency (57% vs 52%) and a significant difference in blocks (14:9) proved decisive, especially in the tie-break, when precisely these two elements "clicked into place". Aces were perfectly even, confirming that serve did not give a decisive advantage to either team. Reception remained problematic for both teams, and the high number of errors – especially for Lokomotiv – explains why the favorite was put under such serious pressure by the last-placed team.
With the two points won, Lokomotiv Novosibirsk temporarily moved to second place in the standings, but the performance against the last-placed team clearly showed that such fluctuations could prove costly later in the season.
