Injury takes one player from each team.

Injury -is one of the biggest problems of the teams.

American setter of Azerrail Baku who plays her second season in Azerbaijan probably will not be able to end the season here in Baku.
Angie McGinnis injuried her knee in of the matches of the Azeri Super league and will not be able to help her team till the end of this season. Azerrail is looking for a player to substitute her.
Anotehr American player, young and very perspective outside-hitter Julie Rubenstein could not recover from the injury which she got at the Pre-season torunament "Baku Volley Cup". The sides separated the ways,Rubenstein left Baku for her home town last month.
Turkish player of Igtisadchi Baku Filiz Ozgur also had problems with an injury and left the team before the beginning of the season. Igtisadchi resigned with her and now is looking for a player to replace her.
Note: Last month also Olga Ativi got injuried and can not play for two months.

Video: Azerrail Baku 3-2 Igtisadchi Baku (23.12.10)

Note: Video starts from the second set due to technical problems.

Set 2



Set 3



Set 4



Set 5

Lokomotiv defeats Austrian Linz-Steg, 3:0

In the first leg of the GM Challenge Cup round of 16, Lokomotiv Baku needed only an hour and three minutes to top Austrian Linz-Steg in three sets, 25:15, 25:11, 25:18.

Lokomotiv jumped out to an early 8:2 lead to start the match and went up 16:7 by the time of the second technical time-out. Azerbaijani team maintained the lead, eventually taking the set 25:15.

The second set was very similar to the first as Lokomotiv again quickly jumped to an 8:2 lead. Despite all efforts from the host team, the gap only grew wider as Lokomotiv finished the set 25:11.

In the third set, Austrian team tried to keep the distance as close as possible, trailing only 3 points - 5:8. It didn't last long, however, as Lokomotiv went on a 11:4 run to take the decisive 18:9 lead. Both teams exchanged points before Lokomotiv pushed through with a 25:18.

The return match will take place in Baku next week on January 12.

Meanwhile, Azerrail and Igtisadchi have reached an agreement with Greek Olympiacos and Serbian Tent teams to play both legs of their GM Challenge Cup round 16 games in Baku. Matches will take place next week on January 12-13.

Lokomotiv defeats Rabita coming back from 0-2!

With the postponed match Lokomotiv-Rabita the first Round of the Azerbaijani Super league Regular season came to the end.
Lokomotiv Baku started the match with fast combinations of attack with Nancy Metcalf and Yelena Parkhomenko. Rabita was trying to equal the score, but Lokomotiv had 4 points average till the end of the set,but Rabita held the equality at 22-22 and with Natalya Mammadova`s mortal spikes ended the set 25-23.
The second set passed much easier for Rabita Baku which took 9 points advantage till the end of the set with great performance by Krsmanovic and Kimberly Glass. But Lokomotiv could take some points with Kristin Richards not to lose the set,Mira Golubovic and Mammadova closed the set 25-21.
Rabita Baku started the third set very sure of the win,but Lokomotiv Baku was not going to give up and lose the match. Shining Kristin Richards and Yelena Parkhomenko played their best game in the following two sets with the help of experienced setter Monika Smak and Nancy Metcalf and took these sets 25-21: 25-18
Rabita was shocked with the opponents amazing game and having some errors on the back line,Rabita could not neutralize the attacks of Kseniya Poznyak (Kovalenko) and Yelena Parkhomenko from the second zone. Krsintin Richards did her best Lokomotiv to close the match for their side. 15-12 and 3-2. Lokomotiv did great "Come Back" and introduced Rabita to the first defeat.
The best players of the match were: Kristin Richards from Lokomotiv and Natalya Mammadova from Rabita Baku.
Despite of losing this match Rabita became the Winter Champion with the set average.

28 December 2010 / Postponed match (3.leg)
Lokomotiv Baku - Rabita Baku 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-12)

Rabita Baku: Zhukova,Starovic,Mammadova,Glass,Golubovic,Krsmanovic,Popovic (L)
Lokomotiv Baku: Smak,Metcalf,Richards,Kamenova,Parkhomenko,Poznyak (Kovalenko), Filipova (L)

Ranking
Rabita Baku 9 (4-1) (14 - 4 )
Azerrail Baku 9 (4-1) (13 - 5 )
Igtisadchi Baku 8 (3-2) (11 - 8 )
Lokomotiv Baku 7 (2-3) (8 - 12 )
VC Baku 6 (1-4) (5 - 12 )
VC Shirvan Guba 6 (1-4) (4 - 14 )

The Postponed match Rabita-Lokomotiv will define the "Winter Champion".

Today, at 18:00 in Sarhadchi Olympic Complex will be played postponed match of the third round Lokomotiv-Rabita which will clear the name of the leader of the Regular Season First Round.
Lokomotiv Baku is looking for its second victory in the Super league when Rabita Baku tries to take back its leader position on the ranking from Azerrail Baku which played a match more than Rabita.
Rabita will miss Olga Ativi due to injury of knee,for two month.

Oksana Parkhomenko - Nice moments

Olga Ativi out of courts for 2 months.

Universal player of Rabita Baku Olga Ativi (Tocko) will miss the team for two months due to injury of knee.
Rabita Baku which participates in the CEV European Champions league can count Ativi`s help only after the first half of February. We hope Olga will recover very soon and help her team in the most important matches.

Natalya MAMMADOVA (Rabita Baku 3 -1 Scavolini Pesaro)