Lokomotiv Novosibirsk recorded their twentieth victory in the championship, after defeating Orenburg as guests with a score of 3:1(20:25, 26:24, 14:25, 21:25)and secured the full three points. The match will be remembered not only for the result but also for the extremely high number of service errors by the "railwaymen" – a total of 31 against 18 for the hosts.
First Set – Strong Start Despite Errors
The visitors started confidently and took a 1:5 and 5:10 lead. Orenburg gradually reduced the deficit to 18:20, but at that moment, Simeon Nikolov intervened decisively. The setter scored his first point with an attack for 18:21, after which he added another for 19:22. After a net touch by the hosts, Lokomotiv reached their first set point, and Kurbanov closed the set for 20:25.
Even in this set, Lokomotiv accumulated 9 service errors against only 2 for their opponent, but despite this, Kazachenkov already had 8 points to his name.
Second Set – Drama and a Missed Opportunity
The second set was the most contested. Orenburg led 5:1 – a mirror scenario of the start of the first set. During this period, Nikolov was replaced by Ozhiganov, and the visitors failed to take the lead in the score.
At 20:17, Nikolov returned to play. The hosts reached their first set point at 24:20. Lokomotiv reduced the difference by two points, and Kazachenkov equalized with two consecutive aces for 24:24. However, another service error followed from Novosibirsk, and Orenburg closed the set with an ace against Kurbanov – 26:24.
In this set, Lokomotiv's service errors were "only" 7.
Third Set – Resounding Response
Irritated by the missed opportunity to take a 2:0 lead, the visitors started aggressively – 1:4. After leveling at 8:8 and 9:9, Lokomotiv picked up the pace. At 11:14, an impressive run of 9 unanswered points followed, making the score 11:23, during which Nikolov also contributed with a successful attack.
Only at 11:23 did the next service error occur, but this time from the visitors. The set ended at 14:25, with Lokomotiv committing only 4 service errors in it – indicative of their stabilized play.
Fourth Set – Control to the End
The start was even, but after a block by Nikolov, the visitors took a 4:6 lead, and an ace from the setter after a short serve made it 5:8. Strong pressure from Kazachenkov, supported by Kurbanov, Voronkov, and Lyzik, extended the lead to 9:16 after an unsuccessful video challenge by the hosts.
Orenburg got closer to 19:22, but couldn't manage more. An attack into the net brought Lokomotiv their first match point. Another service error followed for the visitors, and the match ended after a block error by the hosts, confirmed by a video challenge – 21:25. This reinforced the feeling that this match was a match of errors.
Individual Performance
Simeon Nikolov finished with 6 points (1 ace, 1 block), scoring 4 out of 6 attacks – 67% attack efficiency.
Kazachenkov was the top scorer with 24 points. Kurbanov added 17, Lyzik – 12, and Voronkov – 11.
For the hosts, the only player with a double-digit score was the middle blocker Tkachenko – a leader in blocks in the Russian league, who finished with 12 points, 5 of which were from blocks.
Team statistics
| Metric | Orenburg | Lokomotiv |
|---|---|---|
| Block | 7 | 9 |
| Attack (%) | 37% | 57% |
| Attack points | 30 | 55 |
| Positive reception | 30% | 47% |
| Aces | 4 | 10 |
| Total points scored | 81 | 99 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 40 | 25 |
Lokomotiv outperformed their opponent in all key elements – especially in attack (57% vs 37%) and direct points from serve (10 vs 4). The number of points scored in attack is also impressive – 55 vs 30.
Paradoxically, despite the victory, Novosibirsk gave away 40 points through their own errors, mainly from serves. If they reduce this metric, Lokomotiv could appear much more dominant in similar matches.
