Dynamo-Ak Bars Retains Legends Cup With Sweep of Lokomotiv
Dynamo-Ak Bars defends its Legends Cup title with a dramatic 3-0 win over Lokomotiv in Kaliningrad, aided by two crucial coach's challenges.
Dynamo-Ak Bars won the women's Legends Cup for the second consecutive year, sweeping hosts Lokomotiv 3-0 (25-16, 28-26, 25-21) in the final in Kaliningrad, defending the title they first won in 2024. The tournament honors the memory of Soviet volleyball player, coach, and war veteran Vladimir Savvin.
Dynamo-Ak Bars played cleanly in the first set, committing just two attacking errors, and built an early lead behind Anastasia Kudryashova's serving before extending it further, aided by a 5-1 edge in blocking, to close it 25-16.
The second set was far more competitive and ended dramatically. Lokomotiv appeared to close out the set on two separate occasions, but each time coach Zoran Terzić successfully challenged for a fault against Lokomotiv, both confirmed by video review. Dynamo also made a key substitution, bringing in captain Anastasia Anufrienko to serve, and she delivered two crucial serves to close the set 28-26 for a 2-0 match lead.
Lokomotiv struggled to recover from the second-set finish, falling behind by as much as six points in the third set. The hosts rallied late behind Irina Kapustina's serving, cutting the deficit to two points, but Dynamo converted their third match point to secure the title.
Lokomotiv head coach Andrey Voronkov said: "In this match we were fighting against ourselves. Why? We've had a tough stretch since mid-August, and we handled it with dignity. We showed everything we could today — we made it to the Legends Cup final. Now we'll work on our mistakes and improve our overall level of cohesion."
Dynamo-Ak Bars head coach Zoran Terzić said: "Our coaching staff and medical staff did a lot of work. This trophy belongs to them — I joined the team just a few days ago and saw that they were very well prepared. We played reliably in defense, had good coverage, which allowed us to build counterattacks. That's what helped us get the win."
In the third-place match, Zarechye-Odintsovo, coached by Russia national team head coach Konstantin Ushakov, beat Dynamo Moscow 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-20). Zarechye captain Olga Biryukova led the way with 24 points.
The Kaliningrad tournament was organized with support from the Russian Sports Fund and bookmaker WINLINE.
