For six points
Every victory for Gazprom-Yugra in the championship is worth its weight in gold, not a medal, but in our scale of values no less important. The upcoming match in Orenburg on Saturday is one of those, which they talk about - for six points. Our direct competitors, managed to go from Neftyanik to Orenburg, they want to quickly forget the nightmare of the second round in Surgut and cling to the playoff race.
So far we have twice as many victories, but this should not be misleading, Orenburg is a serious competitor. Suffice it to remember the match of the first round - we will do it with pleasure according to the principle “everything is fine”, that ends well". Everyone remembers the epic comeback of the Surgut team 3:10 a tiebreaker, but the whole match was a swing-and-roll. Lost the first set, in the second they took out the opponent 25:14, took the third one - 25:22. And in the fourth... they flew away 12:25. Good, that in the tiebreaker character and fortune played for us.
I remind you of this, since the match in Orenburg is expected to be no less energy-intensive. In the track record of "Orenburg", in addition to victories over MSTU and ASC, there is also the capture of Kuzbass 3:1 on its site. Diagonal Mikhail Khlyakin, who came from the Kazan Zenit system, revealed himself in the team, finisher Ilya Spodobets confidently holds the lead, Cheslav Sventitskis, who attended the school of Konstantin Bryansky, passes, in the center of the grid is the experienced and well-known Alexei Safonov.
None of these volleyball players, with the exception of Spodobets, was not on the last trip to St. Petersburg, which indicates serious preparation for the match with us. The leaders were given a rest, but behind them there is someone to torment the opponent’s teraflex. However, if the Surgut team concentrates on their game, then it will be very difficult for Orenburg. We played the match with MSTU quite cleanly, sticking to the game plan, found the episodes necessary to win. Maxim Kirillov looked confident, in a couple of moments - self-confident, but that's youth. Second (third?) Alexey Rodichev is experiencing his youth, Artem Masko is gaining momentum, effective and sometimes spectacular Vitaly Papazov, We have arguments in the center of the grid, and on the block, and in defense.
I guess, that there will be a tense match of equals in Orenburg, highly motivated opponents, in which psychological aspects and game discipline will be of decisive importance. Nothing new, just bugs in the game, what is volleyball often called?, if there is a tie on paper, he wins, who will be better prepared mentally. At "Orenburg", in addition to tournament schedules, there is a powerful incentive to “revenge” the first round match, and Gazprom-Yugra has some superiority in terms of the standings - this also affects the mood. But no self-confidence! But confidence in one’s actions is, what do you need.
