Nervousness of Konstantinov, calmness of Verbov: The X-factor in the playoff confrontation

      "Zenit-Kazan" leads 2-1 in the Super League playoff semifinals

      Verbov's team is one step away from reaching the playoff final

      "Zenit-Kazan" snatched victory from "Lokomotiv" in a prolonged five-set match of the Super League playoff semifinals. The team from Tatarstan defeated the Novosibirsk team on their home court in the third match of the series with a score of 3-2 (29:27, 13:25, 25:20, 25:27, 15:9) and is one step away from reaching the tournament final. This is the second victory for Alexey Verbov's team in this matchup. In the first match, the "blue-white-blue" lost (2-3) at home, while in the second match, also in Kazan, they took revenge (3-1). Currently, the score in the series is 2-1 in favor of Kazan. During the match that took place the day before, the lead changed several times, but the guests scored the final point in the concluding short set. The last player to score in the match was Zenit's diagonal Maxim Mikhaylov. He scored 19 points in the game, including 3 on blocks. In this component, blocking player Roman Romanovsky had 4 points, and setter Konstantin Abayev had 3.

      Novosibirsk players burned out and made basic mistakes

      In terms of blocks, the advantage was on the side of Kazan: 17 against 7. However, the Novosibirsk team proved stronger in serving: 14-4 in aces in favor of the "railroaders." 6 of them were credited to Omar Kurbanov, and 4 to Simeon Nikolov. The victory in the match added confidence to Alexey Verbov's team. The Kazan coach appeared calm during the match, as if he knew the outcome in advance and controlled the course of the game. This was noticeable even during short breaks when talking to his players. Verbov urged his players to press more and take control of their game. The "railroaders," on the other hand, made numerous mistakes, especially at the start of the match. Lokomotiv's coach Plamen Konstantinov tried to calm his team, but it seemed that nervousness became the main problem for the Siberians in this game. "The result doesn't matter," Konstantinov said during the match. "What matters is to get our game back. We're too 'burned out' and making basic mistakes." At times, the hosts managed to do what their coach demanded of them. In the second set, they pulled ahead on the serves of Nikolov and Kurbanov. The Zenit coach failed to turn the situation around – even the substitutions made did not help. The outcome of the set, in which the "railroaders" managed to impose a fight and were extremely focused, turned out to be devastating for Kazan – 13:25. Perhaps this was the only serious attempt by the Novosibirsk team to turn the tide of the match, but the Tatarstan team remained mentally stronger.

      Verbov's winning mentality is the main trump card in the playoffs

      The most crucial segment of the match, reflecting the stubbornness of the opponents, was the fourth set. From the very first minutes, there was an equal struggle, and in the end, Kazan lost the set by a narrow margin – 25:27.

      But "Zenit" continued to confidently pressure their opponent. At this moment, "Lokomotiv" showed some nervousness, which this time came from the "railroaders'" coach. Plamen Konstantinov several times benched and then reintroduced Nikolov into the game. Finally, having settled on a lineup, he kept Fyodor Voronkov on the court. But the heroes of the set were Kurbanov and Dmitry Lyzyk, who lifted the team with their attacks.

      In many ways, excessive nervousness played against "Lokomotiv" in this match. It is during such decisive matches that the character of a winner is revealed. And at this point, the more stable team of Alexey Verbov looks like the clear favorite in the matchup. The fourth match of the series between "Zenit-Kazan" and "Lokomotiv" will also take place in Novosibirsk on April 12.

      Photo: zenit-kazan.com