Russian Lokomotiv Novosibirsk going strong in prelims of European Champions League
Following the loss of opening match to Italian team in first leg of 2012 CEV Champions League Prelims, the Russian Lokomotiv Novosibirsk made a great come back and fought its way back into the game.
The preliminary round of the European Champions League was kicked off in November and Lokomotiv dropped its very first match to Macerata. Nonetheless, the team put up a great show of volleyball and clinched success in the next two games. The prelims are
now supposed to enter the fourth stage on Wednesday, while Russians will take on Turkey’s Fenerbahce.
Last week, Russian Lokomotiv defeated the Fenerbahce and finished the game in straight sets. The Russian coach Andrey Voronkov stated, “My team delivered a perfect performance there and we took the game without losing a set.”
Fenerbahce played under the tag of hosts as the match was staged at the Burhan Felek Sports Hall in Turkish Capital Istanbul. Despite having the support of local fans, the hosts failed to overcome the opposite side. Russians, on the other hand, remained
remarkably consistent in the match and ousted Fenerbahce in front of the home crowd. The match lasted for 80 minutes and local ladies played to their full potential but still failed to shine on.
In the next run, Turkish Fenerbahce is scheduled to travel to the city of Novosibirsk in Russia for return game. The fourth leg match of the prelims will be played at SKK Sever hall in Novosibirsk on Wednesday, December 21. Since Lokomotiv has recently scored
a splendid victory over Fenebahce, it will have the psychological advantage over the opponent. The Russians intend to carry the momentum into the return game and want to stretch their winning streak.
Lokomotiv will have another advantage in the match as three of its players, who took part in the 2011 FIVB World Cup in Japan, have returned in the team. Setter Alexander Butko and wing spiker Denis Biryukov played for the national team in Japan and contributed
to the overall effort of winning gold medal. They had a great chance of meeting tough teams of the world in the World Cup and gained a lot of experience, which will now benefit Lokomotiv.
Likewise, US American Ryan Millar was part of the Lokomotiv before the FIVB World Cup. He has also returned in the team. He was gone to support his Native American team during the World Cup. The U.S. team couldn’t achieve desired result but finished only
sixth. However, Miller’s individual performance was exceptional. The Head Coach, Andrey Voronkov, is happy with the return of these players.
Russian squad is likely to be regrouped for the next match and new players will take their positions. Russia’s team-line has further strengthened with addition of new players and they have brighter prospects to win the match against Fenerbahce.
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