The Lokomotiv Novosibirsk team, led by Plamen Konstantinov and with Simeon Nikolov in its ranks, defeated Belgorie Belgorod 3:1 (24:26, 25:19, 25:16, 25:22) in the first quarterfinal of the Russian Super League.
In the regular season, the team of Konstantinov and Nikolov finished in fourth place, while the team from Belgorod was fifth in the standings.
Lokomotiv fell behind in the first game, although it managed to come back after falling behind by 21:24 and tied. The last two points were for the guests, who took the lead.
In the second game, Plamen Konstantinov's team opened an early lead, reaching 24:18 and six opportunities to equalize and took advantage of the second - 25:19.
Lokomotiv gained confidence and repeated its superiority in the third part - from 7:2 through 18:9 to 25:16.
The fourth part was again very contested, with the guests leading at one point by 14:13. After that, the difference ranged between one and two points for Lokomotiv, who closed the match at 25:22.
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk led the series 1:0, and will be away in the second game on March 28 (Saturday). The match is played to the best of two wins in three matches, with the team from Novosibirsk potentially qualifying for the semifinals as early as the weekend.