22/03/2015 14:43
Dinamo MOSCOW host Belgian sensation ASSE-LENNIK in CEV Cup semis
2015 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men
Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2015. On Sunday Russia’s Dinamo MOSCOW travelled back home after suffering two straight losses to Zenit KAZAN in the semis of the Russian Superleague and on Tuesday the team will be hosting Belgium’s Volley behappy2 ASSE-LENNIK for the first round of the semifinals in the 2015 CEV Volleyball Cup – Men.
The players and coaching staff of Dinamo were not too happy with the matches they contested in Kazan this weekend; they first lost to Zenit by 1:3 (22-25, 25-18, 32-34, 18-25) and then had to accept a 0:3 loss (19-25, 22-25, 22-25) to the armada around Maxim Mikhailov that is currently preparing also for the Final Four tournament of the 2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League coming up in six days in Berlin. At this stage Zenit need only one more win to progress to the finals of the Russian Superleague but their next match with Dinamo is scheduled for April 4 in Moscow, i.e. after the Champions League Finals.
The first match with Zenit was a close and interesting one; Dinamo stood a chance of winning both the first and third sets which nevertheless were ultimately cashed by Zenit. The Muscovites who usually stand out for their terrific service recorded ‘only’ seven aces but it was Cuban-born Wilfredo Leon who made the difference in the end for Zenit KAZAN chipping in with 24 points, thereby edging out in that personal contest Dinamo’s opposite Pavel Kruglov who finished the game on 22.
The second match with Zenit was a bit more one-sided with Dinamo lacking consistency and quality at blocking and serving, even though their performance in attack contributed figures close to those of their opponents. Before the series resumes in Moscow on April 4, both Dinamo and Zenit will contest their respective matches in the European Cups. Zenit KAZAN will try to extend Russia’s reign in the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Russian teams have seized the trophy in the last three straight editions – whilst Dinamo will play home and away matches with Volley behappy2 ASSE-LENNIK to achieve their goal of making the CEV Cup finals.
“Today we played bad, whilst Zenit KAZAN improved their performance from yesterday,” said the coach of Dinamo MOSCOW, Yuriy Marichev, following his team’s second loss to Zenit KAZAN on Saturday. “Zenit KAZAN, for instance, claimed the deciding break in the first set as their outside spiker, Evgeny Sivozhelez, stood behind the end line. Their strong service and our bad reception clearly impacted on the final result of the match.”
The schedule is really hectic for Dinamo that on Tuesday night will be hosting Volley behappy2 ASSE-LENNIK in the first leg of the semifinals of the 2015 CEV Volleyball Cup. Dinamo did not have much time to prepare for this match and little is known about the Belgian opponent. The hosts hope to exploit the home advantage to get the right edge for the return match scheduled for Saturday, March 28, in Belgium. The Russians will show up with their complete roster since Ivan Zaytsev, Artem Ermakov, Dmitry Shcherbinin and Alexander Markin have all recovered from their respective injuries.
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