Uralochka-NTMK, the surprising finalists of the last Russian Women’s Volleyball Championship, set off the campaign in the new season with a five-set win over Sparta.
The new season of the Russian Championship – 2022–23 PARI Superliga (PARI Суперлига) – for women’s clubs started with a confrontation between Uralochka-NTMK and Sparta in Nizhny Tagil, where Uralochka still play their home matches, just like in the second half of the last season, due to the renovation of the hall in Ekaterinburg.
It was an encounter between the two teams that ended up at different poles of the league table at the end of last season. Uralochka was second, and Sparta penultimate. However, the absence of several pillars from 2021-22 (Parubets, Cesé, Kastsiuchyk…), was tangible in the play of Nikolay Karpol’s side, who needed five sets and a turnaround from a two-set deficit to down the team from Nizhny Novgorod. Kseniya Kupryashkina top-scored for Uralochka with 21 points, including 4 blocks. Elizaveta Kotova made 5 blocks.
In the second match of the opening day, Tulitsa beat Enisey 3-1.
2022–23 PARI Superliga – Round 1, today’s results:
