Zenit Kazan suffered a setback in the Russian men’s Super League, losing a five-set battle to Lokomotiv Novosibirsk in derby match of the 23rd round.
Lokomotiv claimed a 3–2 victory after a back-and-forth contest that swung repeatedly in momentum. Zenit Kazan took the opening set, but were unable to maintain control as the match progressed, allowing the hosts to force a decisive fifth set. Lokomotiv then held its nerve in the tiebreak to close out the win. The defeat marked a rare stumble for Zenit Kazan in the regular season.
In other matches in the round, Zenit Saint Petersburg continued its push near the summit with a straight-sets win over Dynamo-Ural, while Kuzbass secured a confident road victory against Yaroslavich.
The 16-team Super League plays a 30-round regular season, with the top four advancing directly to the quarterfinals and teams placed fifth through 12th entering an additional playoff round. The 23rd round concludes Sunday with Dynamo Moscow hosting NOVA Novokuybyshevsk, as the playoff picture continues to take shape.
Saturday, 7 February – Results
- Lokomotiv Novosibirsk vs Zenit Kazan – 3:2 (19:25, 28:26, 22:25, 25:23, 15:13)
- Dynamo Ural vs Zenit Saint Petersburg – 0:3 (19:25, 21:25, 22:25)
- Yaroslavich vs Kuzbass – 0:3 (23:25, 22:25, 19:25)
Sunday, 8 February – Upcoming Match
- Dynamo Moscow vs NOVA Novokuybyshevsk
