Russia - Superliga 2017/18

  • Proton Saratov defeated Odintsovo.


    I did say Odintsovo can be quite predictable and they also had some problems with the pass which smaller teams could exploit.


    Unfortunately...my review is quite limited. The match bored me to death that I can only watch one and a half set while having to check my phone quite a lot because the game did not hold my interest. I'm just curious about the defeat. Saratov did beat Dinamo Moscow but at least that match went to a tiebreaker. This match... :down:

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • Proton Saratov defeated Odintsovo.


    I did say Odintsovo can be quite predictable and they also had some problems with the pass which smaller teams could exploit.


    Unfortunately...my review is quite limited. The match bored me to death that I can only watch one and a half set while having to check my phone quite a lot because the game did not hold my interest. I'm just curious about the defeat. Saratov did beat Dinamo Moscow but at least that match went to a tiebreaker. This match... :down:


    I presume Odintsovo lost the game through making far 2 many serving errors (15 serve errors in only three sets is just 2 much) and attacking errors/block downs in their spike attempts.

  • And Moscow won first set against no more good team Krasnodar just with 27:25 and even lost the second 20:25. Either they underestimated their opponent or were not playing with usual starting six or both.

  • Proton lost the race for a better placement in the league round today at home against Kazan - the last did not the often seen favour (in the past) to them, to play with B team, it seems, because that would have opened chances for Proton to improve one place against the loser of now place 4 duel Ekaterinburg (5.) vs. Odintsovo on Sunday (4.) - the winner, regardless how, will be fourth after league round. All other relevant questions are already clarified before the last matches.

  • The last match important for the ranking for the playoffs was won at home by Ekaterinburg against Odintsovo in four sets, this way they claimed the place 4 at the last possible moment. I don't know, why completely unimportant match Sakhalin against Krasnoyarsk was awarded to the first: did the Eastern Siberia team simply not travel, despite they are closer to this Japan-length peninsula as any other team of the league? The last two matches not finished during posting this have no relevance at all for the outcome.


    The playdown is played by Chelyabinsk and Krasnodar, the first better ranked will have an advantage in the series, and this looks like the end of Krasnodars adventrue in superleague, only a few years after their biggest successes (won both twice CEV cup and Russian Cup).


    The five teams on the preliminary (we have to wait for the playoffs of course) European Cups slots are (the four first would be exactly like the last time):


    1. Kazan (CL group stage)
    2. Moscow (CL group stage)
    3. Krasnoyarsk (CL qualification)
    4. Ekaterinburg (CEV cup)
    5. Odintsovo (Challenge cup)


    The quarter pairings are these:


    Kazan vs. Sakhalinsk
    Ekaterinburg vs. Odintsovow (again)
    Krasnoyarsk vs. Proton
    Moscow vs. Leningradka St.Petersburg

  • A little lucky tie-break win for Yenisey Krasnoyarsk against Proton Balakovo Saratov: 15:13, but one fast attack by Efimova was so close to the line, that it was nearly impossible to tell even in the video challenge, if the deformed contact area of the ball touched the side line - the point was attributed to Krasnoyarsk anyway. After this match chances are not bad, that Proton will level with the second match, being a strong team especially at home.

  • Does Zarechie not feed their players?? Some of the girls (Bogdanova, Russu, Yurinskaya) look almost anorectic and even Pankova is a lot less chubby than she used to be :white:


    I also recognized the physically weak appearance of Odintsovo players. The players of Ekaterinburg were athletically obviously stronger. But it is not known, that Odintsovo has financial issus, so with the Russia typical salaries they should easily afford two warm meals per day :D .

  • Any news on whether Melissa Vargas has actually reported to Dynamo Moscow as previously reported or just another rumor?


    At least she is not listed on CEV website (yet?):


    http://www.cev.lu/Competition-…aspx?TeamID=10632&ID=1036


    And she doesn't appear (yet?) also on Moscows website:


    http://vldinamo.ru/players/

  • Their deal went wrong and she is back to Volero.

  • Tomorrow against Sakhalin will play the youth team of Dynamo Kazan? :O Why?


    Are you aware, how large the distance from Kazan to Sakhalin is? The last is directly Northern of Japan (!), so a not for the first time seen move by Kazan is, not to fly their stars this distance twice in short time...

  • Are you aware, how large the distance from Kazan to Sakhalin is? The last is directly Northern of Japan (!), so a not for the first time seen move by Kazan is, not to fly their stars this distance twice in short time...

    Are you aware, how large the distance from Kazan to Sakhalin is? The last is directly Northern of Japan (!), so a not for the first time seen move by Kazan is, not to fly their stars this distance twice in short time...

    Ok but this is a playoff match, not a regular game... in the regular season they played with the best team. isn't it in the playoffs? It's strange...