Dynamo-Ak Bars vs. Dynamo | HIGHLIGHTS | SemiFinals (1st Game) | SuperLeague 2025-2026

Moscow-based Dynamo fielded its optimal lineup for the first semi-final. Angelina Lazareva and Anastasia Manzhosova took center stage, while Anastasia Chernova and Irina Kapustina, one of the leaders in the Super League's scoring race, entered the game. Natalia Goncharova played as the outside hitter, while Elizaveta Sinitsyna handled the passes, and Victoria Marshavina and Anna Podkopayeva shared the role of libero.

On the other hand, Kazan's Dynamo-Ak Bars delighted fans with the long-awaited return of their injured leaders. The blocker Elizaveta Karpol made a pair with Irina Koroleva in the center of the net, while Kamilla Rebrova and Braielin Martinez returned to the set, and Gaila Gonzalez took over the diagonal. The attacks were directed by the setter Polina Matveeva, while the liberos Maria Bibina and Milina Mukhametshina worked on the back line.

Before the starting whistle, the players who joined the symbolic national team of the regular season were awarded. Dynamo-Ak Bars player Bryelin Martinez and libero Maria Bibina received their awards from the hands of match inspector Boris Stepanov.

In relegation matches, the degree of tension jumps higher than usual, and the hand can tremble at the most unnecessary moment, as in the Dynamo derby, which opened the semifinal confrontations of the Russian championship.: From the very first balls, the rivals heated up the situation to the limit, exchanging mistakes on the serve and keeping the score equal. In the game on balance, the nerves of the host team were stronger: while Elizaveta Karpol accurately hit the ball into the floor with her first tempo, Irina Kapustina made a disappointing miss and did not find the field of her opponents, after which Gaila Gonzalez's ace to the libero of the Moscow team, Anna Podkopayeva, secured the advantage for the Kazanians – 12:9.Arkady Kozlov's first break did not help his team to stabilize the game after Kazan's breakaway, so a couple of plays later the teams went on a break again – 10:16. With such a lead in the score, the Kazan team entered the end of the opening set – 20:14. No matter how much the coach of the capital team tried to change the course of the match with the help of video reviews, the Muscovites were unable to level the gap – 25:16.

Anastasia Chernova's serve caught the hosts off guard from the very first seconds of the second set (0:2), but the Kazan volleyball players were not going to give up the initiative. They responded with an aggressive push in one set, leading to a 5:2 score. The Kazan Dynamo, in full flow, dominated the game and gained a two-point lead (10:5), forcing the Moscow team's head coach to make a classic rotation of the setter and the outside hitter. Polina Solodova and Elizaveta Lukyanova entered the fray. But even after that, the ice of the capital's Dynamo did not move, and Dynamo-Ak Bars, like a hurricane that could not be tamed, continued to demolish everything in its path – 18:13. The Moscow team showed its teeth and clung on, but only sporadically, which was not enough to break the pressure of the Kazan team. As a result, in the second set, the home team methodically rolled over their opponents, mainly due to the block, which worked 7 times per set and, in fact, made the difference in the score - 25:17.

It was not in Kazan Dynamo's plans to spoil their fans' volleyball celebration, and in the third set, Brianel Martinez's series of successful attacks once again led the team to the lead, 6:3. It wasn't until the middle of the set that the Muscovites managed to overcome the three-point barrier and bring the game back into balance, but despite mobilizing all their resources, they were unable to maintain this level, resulting in a 19:15 loss after an organized block for Chernova. Although this game turned out to be more competitive, it did not become a sensation: ace Rebrova consolidated the success of the Kazan team (23:16), and Chernova's miss on serve gave the matchball, which Martinez realized – 25:19.

Kamilla Rebrova was recognized as the most valuable player of the match, with 11 points (6 in attack, 4 blocks and 1 ace) on her account with 29% of attacks. The top scorer of the match was Brielyn Martinez, who scored 22 points with a 67% attack conversion rate.

VFV - volley.ru