Zenit St. Petersburg defeated Dynamo-LO 25-21, 25-15, 25-22 to complete a straight-sets win in the 17th round of Russia’s men’s Superliga.
Zenit took control early in the derby, using strong serving and disciplined blocking to create separation in the opening set. An ace by Uladzislau Babkevich closed it out and set the tone for the visitors.
The second set followed a similar script. Dynamo-LO briefly opened the scoring, but Zenit quickly built a commanding lead behind a run of aggressive serves and steady play at the net. The visitors pulled away decisively to double their advantage.
Dynamo-LO showed renewed fight in the third set after several lineup changes and cut the deficit to a single point late. Zenit responded with a late timeout and held firm in the closing rallies to seal the match.
Zenit coach Vladimir Alekno praised his team’s execution. “Even with a 3-0 score, every element was done properly,” he said. “That’s the level we expect.”
Dynamo-LO assistant coach Anton Astashenkov said missed chances in the first set proved costly. “After that, we were chasing the game. Against a team like Zenit, that’s difficult,” he said.
Zenit libero Vladimir Shishkin, facing his former club, called the atmosphere memorable. “It was special to be back here. The win mattered, and the support meant a lot,” he said.
