Russia - Superliga 2018/2019

Participating Teams:

Dinamo MOSCOW (CL 2019)
Dinamo KAZAN (CL 2019)
Uralochka NTMK EKATERINBURG (CL 2019)
Yenisey KRASNOYARSK (CEV Cup 2019)
Zarechie ODINTSOVO (not participating in European Cups:)
Proton Saratov (Challenge Cup 2019 as replacement of Odintsovo) in question now...
Yuzno Sakhalin
Leningradka St.Petersburg
Metar Chelyabinsk
Dinamo Krasnodar (stays despite being last 2018 )
Lokomotiv Kaliningrad (new team, directly accepted)
Minchanka Minsk (Belorus champions, special permission)

Remarks: as in the past again a foreign team, this time from Belorus, was accepted. Even with also newly accepted team in Kaliningrad with a decent roster with Krasnodar going down to Vishaya League A there would have been just 11 teams remaining, because no team from Vishaya A requested a superleague license. Therefore Krasnodar was allowed to stay, despite their lousy 2018 performance fully justyfying going down a league... (remember, a few years ago they won twice as well Russian cup as CEV cup).

Helena Havelkova, in the past already participating in Superleague, joins Moscow. In light of her recent performance this may be no big improvement for the team, but maybe she can regain old strength?

Trouble for Proton Saratov: the team attends for the first time since many years European Cups, i.e. Challenge Cup, but is not eligible to play currently neither in superleague nor in national cup competition. For some reason the region didn't give an okay for their team to participate; their and former NT coach Juri Marichev didn't tell any details regarding this affair when he was publicly asked about it. Because the first round of Russian Cups are already launched (despite the WC is running!), Proton is already out of this competition. When I learn something more about this affair, I will report about it of course. This whole things seems rather strange to me...

As mentioned before, for some insane reason (may have to to with the very short season because WC is this late this season) the Russian Cup competition was already launched in this very week. Of course this is a major issue especially for the stronger teams, because 14 NT players are now in Japan playing the WC. So you should not worry about some defeats of the usually stronger teams; but the favourites keep their chances up to proceed to the next rounds. They are currently divided in four groups of five to six teams each, with many teams from Vishaya league alongside with the fewer superleague teams. Current state:

In group 1 Moscow is leading the group, despite they lost without many NT players one match against the less affected Leningradka St.Petersburg in tie-break. Group 2 sees Kazan in lead, despite they lost similary one match against Jushno Sakhanlinsk in four sets. Interestingly superleague newbies Lokomotiv Kaliningrad (the former Königsberg) won all four matches including the duel with superleague rival Ekaterinburg (which is lacking at least NT player Ksenia Parubets(-Ilchenko)). In group 4 we have the most interesting state with Odintsovo winning all four matches so far and clearly behind a close group of three out of Cheropovets, Minsk (Belorus, special license) and Krasnoyarsk (likely also weakened, for example Efimova is with NT in Japan).

Quote from ignorans

Kaliningrad won 3:0 against Uralochka. Not sure who played though. Both teams obviously missed starting setter and 1 OH (Zivkovic/Voronkova for Kaliningrad, Romanova/Parubets for Uralochka).

According to http://tablica.womenvolley.ru/ Marichev is not Proton's coach this season. So it wouldn't be up to him to talk about the situation. In the league schedule (http://www.volley.ru/competiti…ague=1&year=2019&x=51&y=4) Proton is listed (first game is on November 11th).

I'm thankful for any help to resolve this chaos...

Quote from charalampos

According to the Russian Ministry of Sport it will be a new club named "Proton Saraton" ( i thought this was already the name of the club) in which will be the players and the coach of "Proton БАЭС" (the club that they dont let participate to russian competitions).

Marichev left Proton БАЭС because they didnt pay him for the last 4 months. Also Proton БАЭС cant use their stadium because they didnt pay the rent.

The ministry of sport also said that proton БАЭС dont let players to leave the team. On the other hand the team manager of proton БАЭС said that the players dont want to leave and that the ministry is lying and there is no new club.

Propably the new team will not play in challenge cup.

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Thanks for the explanations. It depends, if they are using the old Proton license I think, if yes, they may be allowed in Challenge cup though. But because even Besiktas Istanbul isn't yet listed on teams bottom of Challenge Cup site yet, despite they are there in qualification schedule now listed as BVA cup winners, we know, that we have to wait, until things are clarified. Challenge Cup is starting lately this season, so it might take a while...

Next matchday Russian Cup, still during WC (?!). Kazan is performing really bad, lost in three today against Juchno Sakhalinsk. On the other hand Uralochka took revenge against newbies Kaliningrad with 3:1. And of course Moscow has to wait for Goncharova anyway, because of her shoulder injury at WC. The superleague teams are in front of the others (mostly Vishaya league A members), but not necessarily in the order, you might expect. The first places of the four pools are now:

A: 1. Moscow 2. Chelyabinsk

B: 1. Krasnodar (!) 2. Juchno 3. Kazan (!)

C: 1. Kaliningrad 2. Jekaterinburg

D: 1. Odintsovo 2. Minsk (Belorus)

Usually the first two of the groups proceed to the quarters.