Cup Semifinal

We lost the semifinal Saturday against Kharkov 3-0 (26-24, 25-17 and 25-18). In the first two sets we were down early, but in the first we were able to come back and make it close. In the third we started off with a 4-0 lead, but it didn't last for long and Lokomotiv won easily.



We had big problems with service and reception so it wasn't surprising the margins of victory were so big. Our best server missed 5 of his first 6 serves, and our passing pulled the setter off the net, which he has a lot of trouble with. And when we finally got some good passes, they camped out on our middles and got a lot of blocks. 



Like I mentioned in the last post, Kharkov is a very solid team, and their outside Tatarinsov is the best I've played against at changing speeds and controlling attacks off the block to get another swing. 

We play Favorit tomorrow, who lost 3-0 to Crimsoda earlier in the day. This will be the third time we've played them this season, and both times we won 3-0. The final between Crimsoda and Kharkov should be a good one, and I hope we get to stick around to watch.



It's been snowing pretty heavily today, though it hasn't been as cold as the -25C that was forecast, more like 'only' -13C. On the way to the match our bus broke down because it was so cold I think, so Lokomotiv had to swing by and pick us up. Their bus was nice, though basically the same as ours. Their sports hall is really nice as well and it's a lot like the one in Odense the Danish cup final is played in, for those who are familiar with it. One side (in the picture) is about twice the size of the other, and the entire hall was almost completely filled Saturday. Lokomotiv even has ultras, and everyone at the hall made it a good atmosphere to play in.