After the victory over Zenit Kazan, Lokomotiv Novosibirsk's setter Simeon (Moni) Nikolov spoke to the 'railwaymen's' Telegram channel, where he expressed satisfaction with the success but admitted that the team still has room for improvement.

"I'm glad we won. We certainly could have played much better, including myself personally. I don't want to sound dissatisfied, but from my game as a setter, I can demand much more. But I'm very happy that even when we don't play our best volleyball, we can still win. And I'm sure that in the playoffs, we will be the strongest team."

Nikolov also paid special attention to the atmosphere in the hall, emphasizing the role of the fans.

"The atmosphere was truly great – one of the best I've experienced. If we have such fans at every match, it will be very difficult to lose at home. I am very grateful and very happy because of the crowd."

The setter also commented on the game of Konstantin Abaev, whom he considers one of the strongest in his position in Russia.

"I think he always plays at a very high level. Today was no different. He played very well – with many options and very precise setting. I am happy that I was able to play against him and learn some things."

Nikolov also spoke about his life in Russia, admitting that his mood is excellent with the arrival of spring.

"The weather is actually very nice right now. I'm very happy that it's no longer minus 40."

He shared that he already knows a fair bit of Russian, but joked that he needs to be challenged with a question in Russian to answer.

"I know a lot of Russian, but you have to ask me something in Russian for me to answer you in Russian."

At the end of the conversation, Nikolov, with a smile, also spoke about the small pleasures outside the hall.

"The sauna is very good. My favorite Russian food is borscht. I adore borscht."