HSE Graduate School of Business volleyball team wins silver at HSE Spartakiad
The Road to the Final
The team’s preparation began well ahead of the tournament. Regular training sessions, tactical drills, and on-court teamwork laid the foundation for their successful performance. In the group stage, the GSB team faced off against teams from the Faculty of Economic Sciences (FES), last year's fourth-place finishers, and the Faculty of Computer Science (FCS). Thanks to coordinated play and strong confidence, GSB secured convincing victories and advanced to the final round of the competition.
Final Stage: A Battle to the Last Point
In the final stage, the GSB team faced FCS again, as well as teams from the Faculty of Humanities (FH) and the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs (WEIA).
The first match against FCS saw the GSB players enter with maximum focus. The first set ended in GSB’s favor (25:23), but their opponents managed to turn the game around — taking the second set (23:25) and ultimately winning the decisive third (9:15). Despite the loss, the GSB players gave it their all, fighting for every point.
In the next match, GSB faced WEIA, whose team included one of HSE’s strongest players and four other experienced athletes. Before the match, GSB player Egor Mashin delivered an inspiring speech that gave his teammates an extra boost of motivation. The first set went to GSB (25:18), but the opponents took control and won the next two sets (21:25, 8:15).
The final result — a well-earned second place that proved the strength of the GSB team.
GSB Team Roster:
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Georgiy Zotov (Captain) – 4th year, Business Informatics
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Nikita Ufimtsev – 4th year, Business Administration
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Evgeniya Safonova – 4th year, Business Administration
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Egor Mashin – 3rd year, Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics
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Stanislav Sakhno – 3rd year, Business Informatics
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Nurislam Ziganshin – 3rd year, Business Administration
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Aleksandr Baiduzhiy – 3rd year, Business Administration
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Konstantin Nosilkin – 2nd year, Business Informatics
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Maksim Gasilin – 2nd year, Business Informatics
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Darya Grebenkova – 2nd year, International Business
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Elmir Nasyrov – 2nd year, Business Administration
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Semyon Tishin – 1st year Master’s, Digital Product Management
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Georgiy Bugelskiy – 1st year, Business Administration
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Platon Pidnik – 1st year, Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics
Congratulations to the team on this excellent result! We’re confident many more victories and titles lie ahead!
Georgiy Zotov
GSB team player, 4th year, Business Informatics
“I’m incredibly proud of our team. We fought to the very end and were just a few points away from gold. This was our third year striving for first place, and I’m sure the team has a brilliant future ahead. They’re strong, and I believe they’ll bring victory to the Graduate School of Business.”
Elmir Nasyrov
GSB team player, 2nd year, Business Administration
“The GSB volleyball team is not just a group of strangers — we’re a real family, sharing every emotion and experience from the game together! Yes, we didn’t take first place this year. Yes, we didn’t feel that absolute victory. But we were only a couple of points away, so we don’t see ourselves as having lost. Both teams showed an excellent level of play — luck simply smiled a little more on the other side.”
Egor Pokidov
GSB team player, Manager at the HSE GSB Student Support Office
“This year, we did a lot of work preparing our volleyball athletes. Thanks to the students’ efforts, we organized regular training sessions for team members and all interested students from the Graduate School of Business — and this clearly paid off. I’m happy to congratulate our students on this achievement and wish them continued growth and victories ahead!”