Zenit-Kazan showed their class once again, sweeping Dynamo-Ural 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-18) in the fifth round of the Russian Volleyball SuperLiga.
Head coach Alexei Verbov fielded his strongest lineup, while Dynamo-Ural’s Boris Kolchin left regular attacker Dick Kooy on the bench at the start. That decision proved costly as Ufa’s reception collapsed early on. Zenit quickly pulled away, with Maksim Mikhaylov serving powerfully and Dmitriy Volkov unstoppable at the net, scoring 11 points in the opening set alone.
Dick Kooy entered in the second set and briefly steadied Ufa’s game, helping them stay close until midway through. But Zenit’s block and serve once again made the difference — Alexey Kononov delivered a key block and an ace.
In the third, Dynamo changed their lineup again, pairing Kooy with Ilya Spodobets, which reduced receiving errors but failed to improve their attack. Zenit stayed in control throughout, with Volkov,
Labinskii, and Abaev leading a clinical finish to seal the straight-set win.
With this result, Zenit-Kazan celebrates their fifth consecutive victory, while Dynamo-Ural suffers their fifth defeat in a row.
After the match, Verbov praised his team’s performance but stressed there’s still room to grow:
“We played well, but perfection doesn’t exist. We’re still building chemistry with our new setter. Every game helps us improve our rhythm.”
Match Summary:
Zenit-Kazan – Dynamo-Ural – 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-18)
Top scorers: Volkov (21), Labinskii (9), Kononov (8) – Pirainen (13), Kooy (7), Spodobets (6)
