Gazprom
Gazprom-Ugra – Belogorie – 3:1 (25:21, 25:20, 30:32, 25:23)
Top ranking of the “SE”: 1. Todorov (Ugra). 2. Tetyukhin (Belogorie). 3. Leontiev (Ugra).
February 18. Surgut. “The prime arena’’. 3500 spectators.
Account in the series: 1-1 (first leg – 0:3).
Guest actions was directed by Andrew Chinnov – Assistant coach .Gennady Shipulin, did not fly with the team in Surgut. In the starting lineup once again without not fully recovered Taras Khtey. However, even without him team played good. Until Ugra gave a chance to the little known striker Dmitry Leontiev.
This occurred when the score was 21:19 in favor of “Belogorie”. And guests did not won a single point to the end of set. The rapid burst “name Leontiev”, included two aces (one rebound from a net), a couple of blocks Surgut successful club and just three errors from Belogorie: First Maxim Zhigalov with such force hit the ball that it touched the ceiling, and in two other cases (including set ball) Igor Kolodinsky was unable to carry out the setting rules.
Second set was a continuation of the ending first. And when the score was 7:10 Chinnov had to change Kolodinsky for a 42-year-old Vadim Hamutskih. It did not help. Best blocker of regular season Teodor Todorov with some great blocks, and Captain Alex Rodichev with attacks lead their team to the end of second set.
In the beginning of the third set, Chinnov uses the last trump card – moved Khtey to the position of the opposite and Dmitry Ilyin, previously performed the opposite function moved to the outside hitter.
This allowed the Belgorod to seize the initiative. But even the sweep of 12:18, they still were on the verge of defeat. The return jump “Ugra” was organized by the same Todorov, Makar Bestuzhev and Todor Alexiev, after the attack which the hosts went ahead – 23:21. However, two consecutive serves Tetyukhin restored equilibrium. And in the end the audience witnessed the most protracted in the current playoffs set (33 minutes), in which the favorite was a little luckier.
Well, for a sweet end Surgut saw the most fantastic “return” of the 2012 playoffs.
The fourth set “Ugra” rescued from the terrible score 10:18! The superhero of the ending… again Todorov, who has made 11 blocks in the match – one more than all the players of ‘’Belogorie’’ together!
More often at decisive moments suffered of the Bulgarian is Dmitri Musersky. As a result, the Russian national 214 cm high team star, gets nervous and made a mistake in a harmless match point situation, Tribunes of the “Premier Arena” exploded with delight.
A winning performer Todorov immediately fell into the arms of teammates and head coach, “Ugra” – the ex-national team of Bulgaria Plamen Konstantinov.
