Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) suffered their second loss to Dynamo (Moscow) this season, after conceding a 1:3 (23:25, 25:18, 22:25, 18:25) defeat at home. Thus, the "railwaymen" failed to get revenge against the "capital dwellers", who had already beaten them in the autumn.

Sapozhkov punished Lokomotiv again

The big hero for the Moscow team was Maxim Sapozhkov, well-known to the Bulgarian public, having played for Montana here. The opposite hitter scored the most points in the match and constantly bombarded the hosts' court, who managed to stop him only once.

First Set: decisive errors at the end

The first set was decided in the final rallies. Lokomotiv equalized at 22:22 after a block, but immediately after that, the referee called an illegal play by Moni Nikolov, who transferred the ball from the back row.

The end came after a misunderstanding in the hosts' defense, and after 33 minutes of play, Dynamo took a 0:1 lead.

Second Set: the serve brought Lokomotiv back into the match

The guests started strong and took a 0:3 lead, but gradually the game leveled out. After 12:12, the hosts took the initiative, and Nikolov shone with his favorite feint – a simulated attack and a pass to an unmarked teammate.

The setter also recorded an ace for 17:14, and Lokomotiv maintained concentration until the end. Voronkov brought the first set point with an attack, and then his strong serve led to a Dynamo error, making it 1:1.

By this point, Sapozhkov already had 11 points, compared to 9 for Kazachenkov, while Nikolov had two points from a block and a serve. The four aces in the second set ensured the hosts' composure.

Third Set: Sapozhkov's moment

The third set began with a scenario similar to the first – Dynamo pulled ahead, Lokomotiv caught up, and until the middle, the game went point for point.

After 17:17, however, came Sapozhkov's moment, who scored 5 points until the end of the set, without being stopped. The hosts brought back the intrigue through Kurbanov to 22:23, but Sapozhkov brought set point, and an attack error by Kazachenkov ended it – 1:2.

Fourth Set: the series that decided everything

Dynamo started with an advantage in the fourth set as well. Nikolov scored his third point after a counter-attack for 6:5, and an ace by Voronkov made it 7:5 – one of the few moments where Lokomotiv led by more than one point.

After 11:9, the guests went on a devastating run of 8 unanswered points to 12:17. Substituting Kazachenkov with Radzhab did not help.

Sapozhkov once again took the initiative with three consecutive points, two from serves, for 13:21, and at 13:22 the match practically ended. Until the end, Lokomotiv only managed to make the score more respectable, before Sapozhkov symbolically closed the match.

Top scorers

Sapozhkov dominated emphatically – not only in terms of total points, but also in efficiency. Lokomotiv had two players with double-digit scores, but neither reached the level of influence that Dynamo's opposite hitter had on the course of the match.

Bulgarian presence: Nikolov with 4 points

Moni Nikolov finished the match with:

• 4 points (+3)

• 1 ace

• 1 block
  
  
  Team statistics

  Indicator	Lokomotiv	Dynamo
  Blocks	4	8
  Attack effectiveness	47%	53%
  Positive reception	40%	36%
  Aces	10	9
  Attack points	58	71
  Total points	88	93
  Points from opponent errors	30	22

  
  Dynamo made the difference primarily with a stronger attack and twice as many blocks (8 versus 4), scoring a total of 71 attack points. Lokomotiv had a slight advantage in reception and more points from opponent errors, as well as marginally more aces, but this was not enough to compensate for the power of the Muscovites in their finishing shots.
  After the victory, Dynamo solidifies its position in the top 3 with the same points as Lokomotiv – 56 points each and a 19–4 record. The difference remains in the set ratio, where the Muscovites have a slight advantage (60:21 versus 61:25). The two Zenits continue to dictate the pace at the top, with Kazan being a convincing leader with 92% wins.