We couldn’t upset our ex. Fakel beat Zenit-SPb with Babkevich and Sivozhelez
Elena Kovalenko February 25, 2024, 14:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Vladislav became the best player on the St. Petersburg team, but his efforts alone were not enough to win.
The closer the preliminary phase of the national volleyball championship is to the final, the more intense the matches become. And in equal battles, the determining factor is the number of errors. Another confirmation of this was the match on matchday 25 between Fakel and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
The match received additional interest from the question of how current Zenit players Evgeniy Sivozhelez and Vladislav Babkevich would play against their former team. Diagonal is a familiar word after each round; his 41 points in the game against Lokomotiv were especially impressive. Overall, in the confrontation with Fakel, Babkevich did not disappoint, almost dragging the game to the fifth set, but his efforts alone were still not enough to win.
From the beginning, both coaches announced teams with which they won the matches in the previous round. From the first minutes the guests took the initiative – 8:5. But with the serve of Mikhail Vyshnikov, “Fakel” was able to equalize the situation. And Melnikov’s ace secured the advantage for the Yamal team: 12:10. But halfway through the match the guests equalized the score, so the rivals reached the end of the set: 20:20. Tikhonov, who came out to serve, scored an ace on his first shot and brought his team a break point. After Andreev’s incredible save, Vasily Kapranov scored on defense (22:22). Vladislav Babkevich scored the first set point with his serve. Zenit had three opportunities to win the game, but luck was on the locals’ side. In two decisive plays, the Yamal team managed to soften Babkevich’s attack and twice Korney Enns took advantage of the opportunities presented to him: 28:26.
MEC “False”
Photo: vk.com/fakelvolley
In the second match, the initial time went to the locals 8:6. The inhabitants of Yamal began to block Babkevich. In addition, Zenit’s defense stopped playing completely, the volleyball players simply passively watched as the ball fell into their court. After Kapranov’s ace, “Fakel” was already “+4”. And with the score 8:13, Sergio Buzato decided to radically change his players: instead of Sivozhelez and Voronkov, Andrei Titich and Tikhonov entered the court. But it didn’t help. Vyshnyakov played an excellent game with his “centers” in the middle of the game: Kovalchuk gave discounts to “Zenith”, Melnikov easily passed the defense of the other team and also won a point on serve: 23:16. And Nikita Morozov, who went out to strengthen his service, coped with the task of him-25:17.
In the last round, Zenit seemed much more confident:
“The guys hung in there from start to finish.” Zenit broke its losing streak in the St. Petersburg derby
Zenit entered the third set with a pair of finishers Titich – Sivozhelez. The guests made a good start (3-1), but the Yamal team quickly tied the score and then went on to take the lead. Buzato’s timeout did not in any way affect the game of “Fakel”, who gathered courage: after the break, Dineykin immediately scored an ace – 8:4. But Igor Kobzar found the main recipient of his passes: Babkevich, who changed the match from 7:9 to 14:12. The diagonal seemed to have a second wind, and he simply hit from the second deck and then also scored a point with a serve. Now the advantage of the break was on the side of the guests. And Zenit knew how to maintain the two-goal advantage that it had achieved with so much difficulty until the end of the game. Thanks to the efforts of Dineykin and Kapranov, the hosts kept the tension in the match, but Andrei Titich took the match (25:22).
Vladislav Babkevich
Photo: vk.com/fakelvolley
Zenit had an excellent start in the fourth set: first Kosmin scored in the center, then with a move he eliminated Santiago Danani 3-1. But this time “Fakel” did not delay the chase and tied the score with a block. In general, the game was like a swing: Yamal’s team pulled away, but Zenit tied the score again and again with Babkevich’s attacks. There was a tenacious fight not only on the court, but also off it: the coaches competed by video call. With the score 23:22 in favor of Fakel, volleyball took a back seat due to the long breaks. And in such a nervous environment, the owners acted more carefully. After a long rally, Dineykin ended the match – 27:25. “Fakel” achieved another hard-fought victory in the match against a team that is higher up in the table.
The most productive player on Fakel’s team was Stanislav Dineykin: he scored 21 points (19 attacks and two serves). Zenit Saint Petersburg once again had no equal for Vladislav Babkevich. The visiting diagonal player scored 36 points at a time (30 attacks, four serves and two successful blocks).
In the next round, the residents of Yamal will also not be able to relax, because their opponents will be the Belgorod “lions”. Alexander Volkov’s team is now in excellent shape and occupies fourth place. Zenit will welcome one of the outsiders in its place: Nizhny Novgorod ASK.
