(by Gianluca Ruffino) First transfer moves at home Rana Verona. The Verona club has made official the purchase of Konstantin Abaev, a Russian setter born in 1999, from Lokomotiv Novosibirsk. Konstantin, 198 centimeters tall, will add to the team of setters. For the 24-year-old Russian, this is the first experience in the Super League, but not the first in the old continent.
Born in Kaliningrad on 17 June 1999, the Russian director has since 2021 grown up in the youth system of Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, a team with which he won three international championships of the Russian Railways JSC “Lokovoley” and a Youth League Cup at youth level.
The first experience in Europe came in 2017, when he moved to Bulgaria to defend the colors of Montana Volleyball, with which he won a silver in the national cup. In the following season he flew to France to play for Stade Poitevin Volley and in 2019 he returned to Lokomotiv with which he won a championship in 2020, achieved a second place the following year, and also silver in the Russian Super Cup, distinguishing himself as one of the best performers in your role.
Protagonist with the various youth selections of his national team, his trophy case also boasts a U21 European Championship and a silver in the U19 World Cup. He is the second Russian athlete to wear the yellow and blue colors after the opposite Maksim Sapozhkov.
These are Abaev’s first words in the Verona jersey: “I chose Verona because I believe it is a place that can allow me to grow a lot, with an ambitious project that convinced me immediately. I have always watched the Italian championship with great attention, where high-level volleyball is played with a style that fascinates me greatly and is not surprisingly considered the most important at an international level. I am happy to have arrived here and I thank the entire Club and Coach Stoytchev for the trust and the opportunity received. I can’t wait to meet my new teammates and start this new important experience.”
“Konstantin is a player we have followed with great attention in recent times – declared Rana Verona sporting director Gian Andrea Marchesi – And we believed he represented the ideal profile for our roster. In the Russian championship he demonstrated excellent qualities in his role and although he is still very young he has already been able to gain important experiences abroad. We are certain that Abaev will be able to best fit into our team and offer his contribution to the growth of the group. On behalf of the Club I extend a warm welcome to Konstantin in Verona.”
Career
2012/2017 Lokomotiv CIVS (RUS)
2015/2017 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (RUS)
2017/2018 Montana Volleyball (BUL)
2018/2019 Stade Poitevin Volley (FRA)
2019/2024 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (RUS)
2024- Rana Verona
Photo Credits: VeronaVolley
