Ordu VK makes a statement in Ankara as Zaytsev, Kubiak and Hidalgo Oliva shine against Ziraat Bankkart

The Azerbaijani club Ordu VK is assembling an unusually experienced roster around players who have spent years at the highest levels of European and international volleyball. Among the most recognisable names are former Italy star Ivan Zaytsev, Polish veteran Michal Kubiak and Cuban outside hitter Salvador Hidalgo Oliva. Their latest performance suggests that the project is beginning to move beyond the stage of impressive names on paper and towards something much more tangible on court.

On October 6, Ordu VK produced its most convincing result of the pre-season so far, defeating Turkish powerhouse Ziraat Bankkart Ankara 4–0 in a friendly match in the Turkish capital. The sets ended 25:21, 26:24, 25:23 and 25:22, giving the Azerbaijani side a remarkably clear victory against an opponent packed with international experience.
The result is particularly significant because Ziraat Bankkart is hardly an ordinary pre-season opponent.
Its 2026–27 roster includes French setter Benjamin Toniutti, Dutch opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz and Japanese outside hitter Yuki Ishikawa, alongside a number of other established international players.
Ordu, however, never allowed the quality of its opponents to become an excuse.
Instead, it imposed its own rhythm on the match.
The first set was controlled from the outset, with Ordu taking it 25–21. Ziraat responded in the second, pushing the Azerbaijani side all the way to 26–24, but that narrow escape appeared to strengthen rather than weaken Ordu’s conviction. The third set finished 25–23 before the visitors completed the sweep with another 25–22 victory.

At the centre of the performance was Salvador Hidalgo Oliva.
The Cuban bomber finished with 23 points, emerging as the match’s leading scorer and providing the offensive consistency that helped Ordu maintain pressure throughout the four sets.
Ivan Zaytsev added 21 points, confirming that the Italian veteran remains one of the most important attacking weapons in this new Azerbaijani project.
Ziraat had its own outstanding individual performances.
Yuki Ishikawa led the Turkish side with 17 points, while Nimir Abdel-Aziz contributed 16. Yet even their production was not enough to prevent Ordu from completing a clean sweep.
For Ordu VK, the victory also has to be viewed in the wider context of a demanding preparation period.
The club has been using a series of international friendlies to develop not only its physical condition but, perhaps more importantly, the collective mechanisms required to turn a group of experienced players into a functioning team.
The Azerbaijani side had already played three matches in Poland and subsequently appeared in a four-team tournament in Ankara.
The results were mixed: Ordu suffered a 3–1 defeat against ZAKSA in Poland and later lost 3–0 to Gençlik and 3–1 to Alanya in Ankara, while recording a 3–1 victory over Spor Toto. The progression, however, has been visible beyond the results themselves, with the team gradually improving its organisation and physical condition.
That distinction matters.
A newly assembled roster featuring players with enormous individual experience does not automatically become a cohesive team. Volleyball demands an intricate relationship between setter, attackers, reception and blocking, and those connections require repetition. For Ordu, the pre-season has therefore been as much about building chemistry as collecting victories.
The 4–0 against Ziraat may be the clearest indication yet that the pieces are beginning to fit.

There is also an intriguing contrast in the two teams’ approaches.
Ziraat Bankkart possesses a roster designed for the highest level of European competition, while Ordu is attempting to establish itself as a new force by combining experience with ambition. The Azerbaijani club’s veteran core gives it something invaluable at this stage of the season: players who understand the pressure of major matches and know how to manage difficult moments without losing their structure.
Zaytsev is perhaps the most recognisable symbol of that philosophy. A major figure in Italian volleyball and a player accustomed to international finals, he brings not only attacking ability but also a wealth of experience accumulated over a career at the highest level. Kubiak adds another layer of international pedigree, having spent years as one of Poland’s most influential players and leaders.
Hidalgo Oliva, meanwhile, demonstrated against Ziraat that he can be much more than another celebrated name on the roster. His 23-point performance made him the decisive attacking force of the evening and gave Ordu a focal point around which its offensive game could revolve.
The challenge now is to transform this promising preparation period into competitive form when the stakes become real.

Ordu VK will take part in the qualification phase of the 2026–27 CEV Challenge Cup, giving the project an opportunity to test itself in European competition. The club’s ambition is clear, but so is the scale of the task. A strong friendly victory can generate momentum; European competition will reveal whether that momentum can survive when every point carries consequences.
For now, though, there is little reason for Ordu to hide its ambition.
A 4–0 victory over Ziraat Bankkart in Ankara, against a team featuring Toniutti, Abdel-Aziz and Ishikawa, is more than a useful pre-season result. It is a statement that this Azerbaijani project deserves attention.
The names were already there.
Now, increasingly, so is the volleyball.

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