Team Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk), led by Plamen Konstantinov, was one step away from the Grand Final in the Russian championship, but lost away to the reigning champion Zenit (Kazan) with 1:3(22:25,25:22,23:25,23:25) in the decisive fifth match of the semi-final series.
With this, the 'railroaders' lost the series 2-3 and will fight for the bronze medals against Zenit (Saint Petersburg), while the Kazan team advances to the final against Dynamo (Moscow).
The match in Kazan offered an extremely competitive game, with three of the four sets decided in the closing rallies.
In the first set, the visitors started strongly in attack, led by Omar Kurbanov, but Zenit's significant superiority in blocking (5:0) and lack of attack errors tipped the scales in favor of the hosts.
Lokomotiv reacted excellently in the second set. Sam Deroo's inclusion proved crucial
he closed the set with two decisive blocks for 25:22 and tied the score.
The third set became a turning point. Dražen Luburić came off the bench and brought stability in attack, and a series of errors by the visitors (10 in total in the set) allowed Zenit to regain their advantage.
In the fourth set, Lokomotiv showed character and tied the score at 23:23 after a strong run, but a service error and hesitation in reception decided the match in favor of the champions. Simeon Nikolov played the entire match for Lokomotiv, being substituted at the end of the fourth set. He failed to significantly impact the result and finished with 4 points, 3 aces, 1 block. The top scorer for Novosibirsk was Omar Kurbanov with 22 points, demonstrating excellent attack efficiency.
For the hosts, Dmitry Volkov was once again the leader, and Luburić's inclusion at decisive moments also played a key role.
Statistics of leading scorers:
| Team | Player | Points | Attack % | Block | Ace | Positive reception |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lokomotiv | Omar Kurbanov | 22 | 72% | – | 4 | 28% |
| Lokomotiv | Ilya Kazachenkov | 11 | 43% | – | – | – |
| Zenit Kazan | Dmitry Volkov | 21 | 59% | 2 | – | 50% |
| Zenit Kazan | Mikhail Labinsky | 15 | 43% | 2 | – | 31% |
Team statistics from the match:
| Indicator | Zenit Kazan | Lokomotiv Novosibirsk |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 97 | 93 |
| Attack | 47% | 49% |
| Aces | 6 | 9 |
| Block | 15 | 8 |
| Positive reception | 42% | 30% |
| Errors | 26 | 28 |
Zenit (Kazan) won the match not so much through superiority in attack, where they even lagged in efficiency, but through block dominance (15 vs 8) and significantly better reception (42% vs 30%). These two elements provided stability in key moments.
Lokomotiv compensated with a stronger serve (9 aces) and slightly better attack efficiency, but weaknesses in reception and lower block efficiency proved decisive. The difference in errors was also minimal, highlighting that the match was decided in the details and in play above the net.
Zenit (Kazan) qualified for the final for the fourth consecutive year and will attack its 14th title in its history against Dynamo (Moscow). The series starts on April 21. Lokomotiv will fight for the bronze against Zenit (Saint Petersburg), with the best-of-3 series starting on April 20.
The loss certainly hurts Plamen Konstantinov's team, but their performance in the series showed that Lokomotiv is fully competitive at the highest level in Russia.
