VK "Gorky" summed up the results of the 2025/2026 season.

      April 22, 2026 14:13 SportNIA "Nizhny Novgorod" - Polina Zubova The Nizhny Novgorod volleyball club "Gorky" completed the 2025/2026 season on April 5, losing to Kemerovo's "Kuzbass" in the 1/8 finals of the Russian Cup with a score of 0:3 in the series. On April 22, a press conference was held at the NOIC dedicated to the team's performance results. The club's director Sergey Andriyevsky, head coach Andrey Dranishnikov, and captain Alexander Pyatyrkin participated in it. They summarized the championship and discussed plans for the off-season, reports NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" correspondent. It should be noted that in the Super League, "Gorky" finished in 11th place in the Russian championship and managed to reach the playoffs. In the Russian Cup, the team stopped at the 1/8 finals stage. As Sergey Andriyevsky noted, the tasks set for the club were generally fulfilled. "In fact, the tasks set for the team were optimally and minimally fulfilled. The team made it to the playoffs. The season can be divided into two parts: before the New Year, the team was doing very well, we were really pleased with the results. After that, certain difficulties arose, but in the end, we fulfilled the tasks. Of course, we wanted more. I am grateful to the coaching staff and all the players. We continue to work," Andriyevsky emphasized. This season was his first in the role of club manager. Head coach Andrey Dranishnikov admitted that the second half of the championship was harder for the team. "After the New Year, the team found it difficult to return to its level. For me, this was something new. We tried to get the team out of the 'sharp decline' that happened. It’s good that we found an understanding of how to fix the situation, and in the end, we fulfilled the task," he noted. According to the coach, injuries and a loss of confidence in the closing moments of matches affected the results. "We played decently; you can't say we didn't fight or didn't try. But if you look at the statistics, we lost all five-set matches after the New Year. Before the New Year, we won them, and after — we lost, except for one game that we won 3:2. This was the main point — we lacked confidence in the closing moments," Dranishnikov explained. The coach added that during the season, the staff changed the training process and tried to switch the players' focus, including through informal meetings. "We tried to switch the guys because we understood: we had been in the same team for six months — training, games, training, games. We wanted to change the environment a bit. There were informal meetings, conversations. We slightly adjusted the training process; after the New Year, it became hard for the guys to absorb information. We changed the approach a bit — all within what we could do," he emphasized. Team captain Alexander Pyatyrkin also noted that the team has room for improvement. "We need to increase our speed, work on our mistakes. The atmosphere in the team was excellent; we have known each other for a long time. If we draw the right conclusions, we will be stronger next season," Pyatyrkin said. It was previously reported that the MHK "Chaika" reached the 1/2 finals of the Kharlamov Cup. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay updated on the main events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When republishing, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is required. This resource may contain materials 18+