Russia: in St. Petersburg’s big match, Zenit fall to Lokomotiv at tie-break (and the others of Round 18)

Lokomotiv rejected Zenit Saint Petersburg’s comeback in the big match between two title pretenders that closed Round 18 (that was played entirely throughout this weekend) of the 2021/22 Russian Superliga Parimatch.

At the Sibur Arena in Saint Petersburg, the home side (still without Poletaev and Urnaut) almost staged a heroic comeback against vice-leaders in a match that went to the tie-break in which Plamen Konstantinov’s team prevailed 18-16 and left Zenit at 4th place in the current charts.
Coach Sammelvuo’s side, also due a bad day of Kliuka (38% and 29% efficiency in attack), started with a 2 sets deficit and then the entries of starting setter Kobzar and Voronkov in place of Kolodinsky and Ursov have improved current situation and a grand finale of third set by Podrebinkin (2 aces and a counterattack from 18-20 to 21-20, other 2 counterattacks from 24-24 to
26-24 after a match point canceled from Kobzar) reopened the game.
After a fourth set easily win thanks to a very good performance from the service line (3 aces and 4 errors vs. 1 ace and 6 errors only in this part of the game) Zenit arrived on the verge to complete the comeback but, with a lead of 12-8 in fifth set, suffered Kruglov’s counterattacks (12-10, 13-12) and Perrin (14-14). Then the ace of a very good Lyzik (16-17), and the decisive Luburic’s block over Podrebinkin (16-18).
Sergey Savin was the most productive player in Lokomotiv, who recorded the 7th consecutive triumph in the competition, scoring 20 points. Dmitriy Lyzik set up 5 blocks.

Among Saturday’s results, other two matches ended at tie tie-break: away win of Dinamo LO against Ural Ufa and the one of Yenisey Krasnoyarsk against ASK Nizhniy Novgorod.
Three points for the two side who still compete in 2021/22 CEV Champions League: leaders Zenit Kazan easily trampled over Orenburg on the road, while Dinamo Moscow win 3-1 on the field of Kemerovo with 21 each by Sokolov and Semyshev.
Close the picture the 3-0 of young Fakel over Surgut and the 3-1 of Belgorod (with Masliev on the field instead of Petric) over Yugra Samotlor Nizhnevartovsk.

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🏐| 2021/22 Superliga Parimatch – Regular Season – Round 18

| February 19, 2022

• ASK Nizhniy Novgorod – Yenisey
Krasnoyarsk 2:3 (16:25, 19:25, 26:24, 25:21, 9:15)
Top Scorers: Andric 27, Kuhno 10, Titich 9; Klets 26, Maksimov 14, Valeev 10, Iereshchenko 10, Skrimov 10.

• Ural Ufa – Dinamo LO 2-3 (25:19, 23:25, 25:22, 20:25, 16:18)
Top Scorers: Rybakov 22, Maréchal 16, Feoktistov 16, Demakov 14; Biryukov 27, Ivovic 15, Chervyakov 10, Melnikov 8.

• Fakel Novy Urengoy – Gazprom Surgut 3-0 (25:19, 25:23, 27:25)
Top Scorers: Babkevich 17, Dineikin 16, Dikarev 11, Melnikov 7; Kovalov 17, Shakhbanmirzaev 13, Alekseev 8.

• Neftyanik Orenburg – Zenit Kazan 0-3 (12:25, 11:25, 15:25)
Top Scorers: Iakovlev 6, Botin 6; Mikhaylov 18, Volkov 13, Bednorz 8, Surmachevskiy 6.

• Kuzbass Kemerovo – Dinamo Moscow 1-3 (17:25, 21:25, 37:35, 20:25)
Top Scorers: Markin 17, Papazov 13,
Sivozhelez 13, Krsmanovic 6; Sokolov 21, Semyshev 21, Podlesnykh 17, Belogortchev 9, Likhosherstov 8.

• Belogorie Belgorod – Yugra Samotlor Nizhnevartovsk 3-1 (27:25, 22:25, 25:17, 28:26)
Top Scorers: Al Hachdadi 21, Tetyukhin 18, Samoylenko 11, Masliev 10, Filippov 8; Galimov 20, Shpilev 13, Sapozhkov 13, Tspekov 11.

| February 20

• Zenit St. Petersburg- Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 2-3 (21:25, 18:25, 26:24, 25:23, 16:18)
Top Scorers: Podrebinkin 23, Kliuka 15, Voronkov 13, Pashytskyy 12, I. Iakovlev 7; Savin 20, Perrin 19, Luburic 18, Lyzik 14, Kurkaev 7.

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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
Zenit Kazan 52
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 40
Dinamo Moscow 36
Zenit St. Petersburg 33
Dinamo LO 29
Kuzbass Kemerovo 27
Belogorie Belgorod 25
Yugra Samotlor Nizhnevartovsk 20
ASK Nizhniy Novgorod 20
Yenisey Krasnoyarsk 16
Gazprom Surgut 14
Fakel Novy Urengoy 13
Ural Ufa 13
Neftyanik Orenburg 4

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