05/04/2021 14:21
Lokomotiv claim maiden national league title after completing sensational comeback
News from the National Federations
Kazan, Russia, April 5, 2021. Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region caused a sensation this past weekend as they triumphed at the Final Six of the Russian women’s national league for the first time in their history and they did so after completing an amazing comeback from two sets down and 20-22 in the third set of the final match with Dinamo MOSCOW.
The players coached by Andrey Voronkov flipped the charts around in the third set and eventually took the fourth and fifth as well to seal their very first championship title – after they had previously finished second twice.
“Before the match, we agreed that we deserved to feature in this final, and we just needed to play as heartily as possible, as relaxed as possible. Dinamo MOSCOW played very well in the first and second sets,” Voronkov said.
Lokomotiv head coach Andrey Voronkov portrayed during a time-out of the final match with Dinamo MOSCOW
“In the third set, they somehow could not stand the pressure when it rose high, whilst we fought back and after that the girls were just great! We are obviously very happy with this result. If, for example, in December someone told us that we would play in the finals, I would have never believed such a person. This is a great end to a difficult season. We had to deal with three ‘waves’ of coronavirus among the players and there were such difficulties with the coaching staff as well – both before the season and in December. Therefore, I think that when we qualified for the Final Six, the girls just got together and did stick together, as they say, in sorrow and in joy. We, the coaches, only needed to make sure we would keep this atmosphere.”
MVP and team captain Irina Voronkova erupts in joy during the final match with Dinamo MOSCOW
Irina Voronkova, captain of Lokomotiv and MVP: “I wish to congratulate my fellow players, the coaching staff, and the management of the club. Everyone has come a long way towards this victory. The final was tough, as was the season as a whole. Now everyone is very tired but in the Final Six there was such a format that there was no room for mistake and it was necessary to play as consistently as possible. We tried to do it - and we won!”
Time to celebrate a historic success for the players of Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region
As per the final standing of the competition, Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region, Dinamo MOSCOW and Dinamo-Ak Bars KAZAN are due to represent Russia in the 2022 edition of the elite CEV Champions League Volley.
Final standing
1. Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region
2. Dinamo MOSCOW
3. Dinamo-Ak Bars KAZAN
4. Uralochka-NTMK EKATERINBURG
5. Minchanka MINSK
6. Proton SARATOV
Individual awards
Best Libero: Alla Galkina (Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region)
Best Server: Arina Fedorovtseva (Dinamo-Ak Bars KAZAN)
Best Spiker: Natalia Zilio Pereira (Dinamo MOSCOW)
Best Blocker: Valeriya Zaytseva (Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region)
Best Setter: Tatiana Romanova (Dinamo MOSCOW)
MVP: Irina Voronkova (Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region)
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