In front of their home crowd, Dynamo-Ak Bars (Kazan) secured a confident 3-1 victory over Zarechie Odintsovo in the playoff semifinals, moving one step closer to the championship and taking a 2–0 lead in the best-of-five series.hip, and took the lead in the series 2–0 (best of five format).
From the first serve, Kazan looked sharp. Gaila González fired off an ace to kickstart a 3:0 run, setting the tone for the match. Although Zarechie regrouped and fought back mid-set, Dynamo’s strong blocking game, led by Svetlana Gatina, shut them down when it mattered most.
The home team took the first two sets with identical 25:20 scores, but Zarechie wasn’t ready to give up. With a burst of energy and a series of powerful serves, they edged out a tense third set 27:25.
But the fourth set belonged entirely to Kazan. Gatina continued her stellar performance, not only leading on offense but also setting a personal best with nine blocks. Her energy and precision helped Kazan pull away early, and they never looked back — sealing the final set 25:13.
“After the third set, we knew we had to regroup and stay focused,” said Gatina, who finished with 28 points. “I’m thrilled with the way we closed it out.”
The series now shifts to Odintsovo, where Zarechie will look to bounce back in front of their home fans.
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The semi-finals of the 2025 Russian Women’s Volleyball Championship are underway:
Dynamo Cruises Past Ak Bars with Back-to-Back Wins
Dynamo Moscow has taken firm control of their semi-final series against Ak Bars Kazan, delivering two dominant performances to lead the series 2-0.
- Match 1: Dynamo def. Ak Bars — 3:0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:13)
- Match 2: Dynamo def. Ak Bars — 3:1 (25:20, 25:20, 25:27, 25:13)
- Next Match: March 28, 2025
With just one more win needed to secure a place in the final, Dynamo is showcasing championship-level form and remains the team to beat.
Leningradka Stuns Lokomotiv in Five-Set Thriller
In the other semi-final matchup, Leningradka St. Petersburg pulled off a dramatic five-set victory over Lokomotiv Kaliningrad to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
- Match 1: Leningradka def. Lokomotiv — 3:2 (22:25, 25:19, 29:27, 15:25, 16:14)
- Next Matches:
- March 25, 2025
- March 29, 2025
