A tough night at the net

Volleyball is fast, but women’s volleyball is fast with intent: every touch has a plan, every pause has a message. I came to Korabelka vs Dynamo-Ak Bars in Saint Petersburg to build a set of images that feels like being courtside — not just a tidy recap.

The plot kicked in early. Dynamo-Ak Bars controlled the opening set and made it clear they weren’t here to trade momentum; 19–25 on the scoreboard felt like a statement. As a sports photographer Saint Petersburg-based, this is when I go into “pattern mode”: follow the setter’s choices, read the first step of the middle, and stay ready for rallies that suddenly turn messy. I mixed wide frames (to show spacing, block shape, and transitions) with tight portraits — fingers brushing the tape, eyes locked on serve receive, a split-second of relief after a clean dig.

Korabelka kept searching for a run, fighting for side-outs and trying to pull the arena back into the game, but Dynamo-Ak Bars repeated the 19–25 in the second and then closed hard in the third, 11–25. The most valuable frames weren’t only the winning points; they were the seconds right after them — a quick huddle, a frustrated glance at the floor, a coach’s calm correction. That’s the kind of match photography organizers, clubs, federations, and brands can actually use: press, social, sponsor decks — visuals that carry emotion without needing long captions.

See the full gallery with the best moments from Korabelka vs Dynamo-Ak Bars (Women’s Superliga, Round 15) here: Korabelka (Saint Petersburg) — Dinamo-Ak Bars (Kazan).