Dinamo KAZAN of Russia are making this season their first appearance in the CEV Volleyball Cup. Back in the 2007/2008 season, under their previous denomination of Kazanochka, Dinamo participated in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup, reaching the Round of 16. After that, they became a force to be reckoned with in the CEV Volleyball Champions League – they took part in Europe’s elite competition uninterruptedly from 2011 to 2016, seizing the crown in 2014, the first and only Russian team to do so.

Back in November 2011, Dinamo KAZAN played their first ever CEV Volleyball Champions League match against Agel PROSTEJOV of the Czech Republic and again their debut in the CEV Volleyball Cup coincided with a match against a Czech opponent – VK UP OLOMOUC. Interestingly enough, setter Sarka Kubinova contested both matches – with Agel back in 2011 and on January 11, 2017 when OLOMOUC hosted Dinamo KAZAN on home soil.

Dinamo KAZAN are five-time Russian national champions but failed to secure a spot in this year’s CEV Volleyball Champions League after a very disappointing 2015-2016 season. They first finished in fourth place at the Champions League Finals in Montichiari, Italy before ending up in fourth place also in the Russian national league – and as a result, they ‘only’ were eligible to participate in the CEV Cup.

Though the roster of the team has undergone many changes, the core of the group as well as the coaching staff are still the same. Dinamo KAZAN have been working hard to resume their success story and just before the end of 2016, they beat Dinamo MOSCOW 3-1 in the finals of the Russian Cup. Two weeks ago Dinamo easily rallied to a 3-0 victory over VK UP OLOMOUC in the Czech Republic – with all three sets ending with the same score (25-16). The Russians now need to take at least two sets from the re-match to secure their progression to the 8th Finals.