On March 14, the penultimate round of the championship of Ukraine among women's Super League-Dmart teams of the 2022/23 season will start. There is a long distance behind, but for the top four clubs at the moment, the most difficult part still awaits.

We would like to remind you that the semifinals of the championship will last until two victories. At this stage, "Dobrodiy-Meduniversitet-ShVSM" will meet with the National team of Ukraine U-17, and SC "Prometey" will compete with "Alanta" in the Dnipro derby.

"Dobrodiy-Meduniversitet-ShVSM"

"Dobrodiy", as the winner of the regular championship, went directly to the semi-finals. However, the reverse side of the medal is that they were left without official matches for a long period.

- Of course, the absence of official games does not add any benefit to us, - said Yuliia Yakusheva, the coach of the Vinnytsia team. - After all, a break for a month is too much. However, all this time we prepared well and held sparring sessions so that the team did not lose game practice, the spirit of a winner, and interaction between players. We are determined to go on and win. The semi-final is a very important stage for us. We are preparing to face the National team of Ukraine U-17 as very serious opponents.

On the eve of the playoffs, this team was strengthened by experienced volleyball players: middle blocker Kateryna Frolova and setter Anna Lysanets. 

- Adaptation of newcomers is going well. After all, Kateryna Frolova is a high-class athlete. Yes, she is not in her best physical condition right now, but her charisma and fighting spirit have had a significant impact on the quality of our game. Anna Lysanets is also not in perfect shape yet. On the other hand, psychologically, she gives a lot to the club, - Yuliia Ivanivna added.

National team of Ukraine U-17

In the quarterfinals of the Super League-Dmart, the National team of Ukraine U-17 twice beat "Balta" with the same score of 3-0, which surprised many domestic volleyball fans. After all, the teams finished the regular season in fifth (blue-yellows) and fourth (Balta) places, respectively. Therefore, it was expected that the fate of the ticket in a duel of the opponents, equal by class, would be decided only in the third match.  

- They surprised everyone, except for themselves, - said the head coach of the national teams, Volodymyr Podkopaiev. - We practiced a lot, analyzed our opponents well, and did a lot of tactical work. That is why they were sure of their victory. The girls managed to fulfill all the instructions almost 100%. The most important thing is that there was a united team on the court. In these games, we acted collected and concentrated.

Volodymyr Anatoliiovych is sure that it will be much more difficult to face "Dobrodiy" than "Balta". After all, the team from Vinnytsia is the winner of the regular championship: 

- Experienced volleyball players who have played enough in the Super League and abroad play for this club. At the same time, not all of our players reached 17 years old. Sometimes, due to a lack of experience, only a desire is not enough to get a positive result. In addition, many have micro-injuries, due to which they do not practice for several days. But for this moment, our team is completely emotionally ready. I hope we will be able to keep the team spirit and show our best.

"Alanta"  

In the semifinals of the volleyball Super League-Dmart, "Alanta" will meet with the current champion of Ukraine "Prometey", which is actually the composition of the national team. It is interesting that the coach of the Dnipro club Gariy Yegiazarov is well acquainted with, so to speak, the inner kitchen of his competitors. After all, the specialist worked as a manager of the blue-yellow team as part of the coaching staff headed by Ivan Petkov, the current head coach of the "red-white team".

- Of course, this is a plus, but knowing certain intricacies of the training process is one thing, and using them is quite another - explained Gariy Shamoevych. - My team will have to implement certain developments on the court. The matches will show how ready we are for this. In general, today it is simply impossible to hide some information from the opponent, even at the national team level. You can find information about any team, process it and identify weaknesses.

"Alanta" is preparing for the semifinals as usual. In addition, the players from Dnipro played a friendly game with representatives of the National team of Ukraine U-17. 

- Now we continue thorough preparation. It is clear that difficult and rather difficult matches await us against a completely different "Prometey". At the end of the season, "Alanta" accumulated our own problems. Unfortunately, we do not have as many reserves as the opponents - this is the main problem. Yuliia Kaminska, who missed the last matches due to an injury, is already training. There is a possibility that she will have time to recover before the semi-finals, - said Gariy Yegiazarov.

SC "Prometey"

After the volleyball players of "Prometey" returned to Ukraine and united in one team, the team managed to play three matches: in the "regular" they triumphed over "Dobrodiy" (3-0), and in the quarterfinals of the playoffs - twice over " Halychanka-ZUNU" (3-0, 3-0).

- Infusion of new blood into the team took place without any problems. The team's communication is at the proper level, everyone supports each other. Younger players learn from more experienced players, - noted the assistant head coach of the "red and whites" Denys Zui.

The expert also added that the Kamianske players are approaching the semi-finals in a fighting mood:

- All volleyball players are healthy and physically ready. We are currently engaged in tactical and technical work. We are preparing for responsible games against "Alanta". We are well aware of the capabilities of our opponents, led by the experienced Gariy Shamoevych. You can expect anything from him. But in any case, we will be ready for his tactical schemes.

Schedule of matches:

March 14

19:00 "Dobrodiy-Meduniversitet-ShVSM" — National team of Ukraine U-17

March 15

19:00 "Alanta" — SC "Prometey"

March 16

19:00 National team of Ukraine U-17 — "Dobrodiy-Meduniversitet-ShVSM"

March 17

19:00 SC "Prometey" — "Alanta"

March 18

13:00 "Dobrodiy-Meduniversitet-ShVSM" — National team of Ukraine U-17 (if necessary)

March 19

13:00 "Alanta" — SC "Prometey" (if necessary)

Watch the broadcasts on YouTube-channel Divisport Volleyball.