It was an exciting week in the Russian SuperLeague as four matches went to a deciding fifth set before a winner was decided. Two other matches ended in sweeps but were hard fought throughout. Zenit-Kazan remains atop the standings having won all five matches so far this season.
Match of the Week: Gazprom-Yugra vs Zenit St. Petersburg
The battle of two teams in the top 5 did not disappoint as the host team Gazprom-Yugra rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Zenit St. Petersburg in five sets. Set scores were 22-25, 28-26, 25-27, 25-22, 15-11. Bogdan Glivenko led the way with 21 points while Anton Semyshev chipped in 4 blocks in the victory. Gazprom-Yugra has had a knack for pulling out close wins so far this year as they are 4-1 on the season with three of their wins coming in a deciding fifth set.
Player of the Week: Wilfredo Leon
Zenit-Kazan, playing without American star Matt Anderson who helped lead the Americans to gold at the NORCECA Men’s World Qualifier, won its fifth straight match to open the season, this time behind a strong effort from Wilfredo Leon. Leon finished the match with 24 points including 4 aces as Zenit-Kazan held on to defeat Torch in five sets.
What to Watch For Round 6: Gazprom-Yugra at Zenit-Kazan
Gazprom-Yugra travels to Zenit-Kazan for another matchup of two teams located in the top five in the standings. A win for Gazprom-Yugra would be a huge step forward for the club that could vault them into the top three, while a win for Zenit-Kazan would further solidify their placement at the top of the standings.
Current Standings:
1. Zenit-Kazan (14 points)
2. Belogorie (12 points)
3. Kuzbass (11 points)
4. Zenit St. Petersburg (10 points)
5. Gazprom-Yugra (9 points)
6. Ural Mountains (8 points)
6. Lokomotiv (8 points)
8. Dynamo Moscow (7 points)
8. Nova (7 points)
10. Torch (5 points)
11. Yenisei (4 points)
11. Yaroslavich (4 points)
13. Yugra-Samotlor (3 points)
13. Dinamo-LO (3 points)
Results: Round 5
Nova 3:1 Yenisei (25-23, 17-25, 25-14, 30-28)
Lokomotiv 3:2 Yaroslavich (23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 15-10)
Ural Mountains 3:0 Yugra-Samotlor (25-23, 25-19, 25-23)
Zenit-Kazan 3:2 Torch (25-22, 17-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-9)
Gazprom-Yugra 3:2 Zenit St. Petersburg (22-25, 28-26, 25-27, 25-22, 15-11)
Belogorie 3:0 Dynamo Moscow (34-32, 25-20, 25-23)
Kuzbass 3:2 Dinamo-LO (19-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-6)
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