PLAYOFF
The match between the tournament favorite – Gazprom Energoholding team and the North-West Plant from the northern capital became the brightest quarterfinal battle. The start was very predictable: Energoholding won in the first game with a score of 15:10. However, later the residents of St. Petersburg, while demonstrating a real male character, won the second set 15:12. The volleyball players of Gazprom Energoholding did not expect such a plot twist, and although they imposed a struggle to the residents of St. Petersburg in the third game (the game reached a tiebreak), they could no longer stop the players of the North-West Plant who caught the courage. The outcome of the third set was 18:16 and Petersburg went to the semifinal, where it was already awaited by another competition favorite – MOESK, that won Afrikantov AEDME. In the other quarterfinals, Yoshkar-Ola and Moscow Gazprombank were stronger than Vulcan and Energoproject respectively. In the first semifinal, MOESK confidently outplayed the Petersburg workers in two games 15:10; 15:11, and the main troublemaker went to fight for the bronze medals. Moreover, the term "fight" turned out to be very applicable to this very interesting, uncompromising and cool team from St. Petersburg. Even at the group stage, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Yoshkar-Ola clearly indicated its competition ambitions, which were developed in the match of the 1/2 final against Gazprombank 15:7; 15:11. The match for the bronze medals could again satisfy even the most sophisticated "volleyball gourmand" since Petersburg began with a defeat in the first set 11:15. And again, the plant workers showed their character. First, they won the second game in the tiebreak 18:16. And in the decisive set, Gazprombank volleyball team, which demonstrated high-quality and very cool volleyball throughout the entire competition, was forced to give way to the North-West Plant. The score in the game was 15:11 in favor of St. Petersburg and the honorable third place in the very status and large-scale tournament went to the players from the cultural capital. The final match of Volley ENERGO-2018 deserved perpetuation in the annals of the national amateur volleyball. The Moscow United Electric Grid Company, being the hosts of the arena, seized the initiative in the first game. Leading in the score with 12:11, the opposite player of MOESK sent the ball to the floor with all his strength. But the players from Yoshkar-Ola miraculously performed a trick, using two touches. The ball soared upwards... and the audience stood motionless, watching, as if in the slow-motion pictures, how the ball went out and the Mezhregiongaz player followed it. Hit! And the ball was saved and flew to the arena half of the Moscow players! When taking, the MOESK players worked out, they brought the opposite player to the attack, but the defense of Yoshkar-Ola was impossible to break through after such a rescue. Block! And the score became equal. Subsequently, the players and team leaders from Mari El noted that the moment was a turning point in the match. The fight for the main trophy continued, but then Gazprom Mezhregiongaz did not let the game go out of its hands. The score was 15:13; 15:12 in the games, the result was 2:0 and the First Volley ENERGO Cup left for Yoshkar-Ola!