Slavi Kostadinov – a volleyball player with Bulgarian roots – continues to write impressive statistics in the Russian Super League. After Gazprom-Yugra's dramatic 3:2 victory against Kuzbass, his serve once again became a key factor, and his seasonal record now places him just eight aces away from a 15-year record.

Dramatic success in Kemerovo

Gazprom-Yugra – Kuzbass 3:2 (25:17, 29:27, 25:27, 21:25, 15:11)

The match saw serious swings and tactical changes. In the tie-break, at 9:9, the visiting coaching staff brought Kirill Nikiforov and Slavi Kostadinov back into the game. The decision proved strategically correct.

Nikiforov executed an attack for a break, and Kostadinov took the initiative with his serve. He recorded two aces – aimed at Timofey Tikhonov and Evgeny Klyupa – for a 12:9 lead, which proved decisive. His total contribution from serves in the match reached 7 aces.

Slavi against history – chasing a record

According to data cited by"Fanat Voleybola", Slavi Kostadinov already has67 aces in 25 matchesin the 2025/26 season and can realistically surpass the achievement of Dmitry Muserskiy, who scored75 acesin the regular championship during the 2014/15 season. As "Fanat Voleybola" notes, this is a record for the last 15 years in the Russian Super League. However, tracking historical peak achievements is difficult, as official statistics in Russian volleyball only began to be kept from 2005 and are not easily accessible even today. A curious detail is that Muserskiy reached his 75 aces in just22 matches, with an average of0.89 aces per set, while for Kostadinov the indicator is0,73.

The numbers show that although Muserskiy holds higher efficiency, Kostadinov maintains an exceptionally high level of service pressure over a longer period of the season. The difference of only 8 aces makes the record completely achievable if the Bulgarian maintains his current pace.

photo:VC "Gazprom-Yugra"