The volleyball players of Lokomotiv Novosibirsk took an important step towards the final in the Russian championship, after winning as visitors against Zenit Kazan with 3:2 (21:25, 25:20, 25:22, 22:25, 15:13) in the first match of the semi-final series.
Thus, Plamen Konstantinov's team took a 1:0 lead in victories against the reigning champion, and the second match is on April 5 in Kazan.
The hosts started stronger and took the first set, despite lagging in attack. In key moments, Zenit compensated with better serving and blocking. Konstantin Abaev stopped Fyodor Voronkov's attack for 22:20, and Mikhail Labinsky scored two consecutive aces against Sergey Melkozyorov and substitute Sam Deroo for the final 25:21.
In the second set, Lokomotiv found a solution at 12:12 when Rajab Shahbanmirzaev entered the game instead of Ilya Kazachenkov. The visitors increased their efficiency, and the receivers Omar Kurbanov and Fyodor Voronkov also contributed strongly. Zenit collapsed in attack, and after errors by Dmitry Volkov and Roman Romanovsky, they fell decisively behind, which allowed the Novosibirsk team to equalize after 25:20.
The third set also went to Lokomotiv's account. Kazan accumulated a total of 11 unforced errors and squandered a 22:20 lead. Labinsky sent the ball out and was then blocked by Simeon Nikolov, Dmitry Lyzik closed out Volkov at the net, and Shahbanmirzaev finished a counter-attack after an excellent defensive intervention by Nikolov.
The fourth set turned into a duel between the opposite hitters. Maxim Mikhailov finished with 7 points and a very high success rate in attack, while Rajab responded with the same confidence for Lokomotiv. Towards the end, Volkov executed an important attack and immediately followed it with an ace for 23:20, securing a tie-break for Zenit after 25:22.
The drama in the tie-break
The decisive fifth set started better for the hosts, who took a 4:1 lead after a block against Rajab Shahbanmirzaev. However, at 5:3 for Zenit, Simeon Nikolov executed a counter-attack after a good serve by Fyodor Voronkov for 5:4, and a little later, an ace by Ilyas Kurkaev restored equality for 6:6.
Zenit was the first to reach the eighth point at 8:7, but after 8:8, an extremely tense moment followed. The hosts made four consecutive attacks, with the situations confirmed even after a double video challenge, but Lokomotiv survived the rally and pulled ahead 9:8.
At 11:11, Simeon Nikolov showed composure and skillfully tipped the first ball for 12:11 in favor of the visitors. Immediately after, Fyodor Voronkov scored an extremely important ace for 13:11. Zenit reduced the deficit to 12:13, and Plamen Konstantinov called a timeout to disrupt Maxim Mikhailov's serving rhythm.
After the resumption of play, Kurkaev finished a quick attack through the middle against a double block for 14:12 and Lokomotiv's first match point. Another timeout by Konstantinov followed, and in the next rally, Omar Kurbanov hit the ball off the block with two hands, ending the dispute. There was also a video challenge for a net touch, but it did not change the outcome – Lokomotiv won the tie-break 15:13 and took the lead in the series.
Top Scorers
Zenit Kazan:
Mikhail Labinsky 22, Dmitry Volkov 18, Maxim Mikhailov 18
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk:
Rajab Shahbanmirzaev 16, Omar Kurbanov 12, Dmitry Lyzik 11
Simeon Nikolov finished with 5 points, with an efficiency rating of -3, attacked 6 times, scoring 4 points and adding 1 block.
Team Statistics
| Statistic | Zenit Kazan | Lokomotiv Novosibirsk |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks (points) | 10 | 6 |
| Attack (%) | 49% | 55% |
| Attack points | 53 | 58 |
| Positive reception | 32% | 46% |
| Aces | 9 | 7 |
| Service errors | 26 | 26 |
| Points from opponent errors | 33 | 37 |
| Total points | 105 | 108 |
The statistics outline an extremely even match, which Lokomotiv won thanks to better efficiency in key elements.
Zenit had a slight advantage in blocks – 10 against 6, as well as more direct points from service (9 aces against 7), but this did not prove decisive. The reason is that Lokomotiv compensated with higher quality in the fundamentals of the game – reception and attack.
The visitors had significantly better positive reception – 46% against 32%, which allowed them to organize a more diverse and effective attack. This is also evident in the success rate percentage – 55% for Lokomotiv against 49% for Zenit, as well as in the points scored from attack – 58 against 53.
With an equal number of service errors (26:26) and similar indicators in other components, points won after opponent errors also proved to be a key factor – 37 for Lokomotiv against 33 for Zenit.
Ultimately, the difference comes from Lokomotiv's better efficiency in rallies and more stable play after reception, which gave them a minimal, but decisive advantage in the total number of points – 108 against 105.
