Photo: Igor Travkin

On October 15–16, matches in Round 2 will take place in Petropavl, Turkistan, Oskemen and Almaty. Quanysh will put Ertis to the test, Zhetysu will travel to face Turan, Karaganda will look to challenge VC Berel, while Burevestnik and Aktobe are expected to produce some of the most competitive matches of the round.

Quanysh vs Ertis

Venue: Quanysh Sports Complex
Date and time: October 15 – 18:00; October 16 – 18:00

The North Kazakhstan-based club is traditionally one of the leading contenders for the Kazakhstan championship title. Ertis, meanwhile, have returned to the National League this season, and the Pavlodar side face two challenging away matches.

One notable feature of the upcoming fixtures is that both teams are led by foreign coaches. The hosts are coached by Turkish specialist Saim Pakkan, while the visitors are managed by Ukrainian coach Yevhenii Nikolaiev.

In the opening round, Quanysh secured two victories over Karaganda, while Ertis suffered two away defeats against Zhetysu.

Turan vs Zhetysu

Venue: Olympic Center
Date and time: October 15 – 18:00; October 16 – 18:00

Turkistan will host a two-match showdown between the current holders of the Kazakhstan Cup and the reigning national champions.

The teams coached by Askar Shalkibekov and Marko Grsic have each won both of their opening matches without dropping a single set. In Round 1, Turan comfortably defeated Aktobe twice at home, while Zhetysu had little trouble overcoming VC Ertis in Taldykorgan.

Berel vs Karaganda

Venue: Zhekpe-Zhek Sports Complex
Date and time: October 15 – 18:00; October 16 – 18:00

During the off-season, the East Kazakhstan-based club significantly rejuvenated its squad and appointed Turkish coach Haluk Korkmaz. Karaganda continue to be led by Nurlan Sadykov.

The opening round produced contrasting results for the two teams. Berel recorded two victories over Burevestnik, while Karaganda failed to pick up any points against VC Quanysh.

Burevestnik vs Aktobe

Venue: Dostyk Sports Complex
Date and time: October 15 – 18:00; October 16 – 17:00

The most intriguing matches of the round are expected to take place in Almaty. The southern capital has not hosted women’s volleyball for local fans for more than three years. Neither team managed to earn any points in the opening round: Burevestnik lost in Oskemen, while Aktobe were defeated in Turkistan. Both sides will now be eager to turn things around.

Both clubs changed their coaching staff during the off-season and significantly revamped their squads. There is every reason to expect that the Almaty–Aktobe clash on October 15 and 16 will provide volleyball fans with two exciting and competitive matches.