Azerbaijan national team volleyball player Dmitry Baranov has completed the Chilean league season with a silver medal as part of Deportivo Murano, but his campaign in South America is far from over. The middle blocker is now preparing for the upcoming South American Cup and shared his impressions in an interview with İdman.Biz.
Baranov described his time in Chile as an intense and valuable stage of his career. He said the championship left a positive impression overall, despite the disappointment of losing the final series to Deportes Linares. According to him, Murano led for much of the season, but the opponents produced their best performance in the second final match, while his own team slightly dropped after winning the opener. Still, he stressed that the silver medal should be seen as important experience rather than a failure.
Reflecting on the level of the league, Baranov noted that Chilean volleyball would benefit from attracting more foreign players and stronger institutional support for clubs. In his view, competition is currently concentrated among the top four to six teams, while the rest of the league lacks depth and quality.
One of the most unusual aspects for Baranov was the tournament calendar. Matches were played every three to four days, with quarter-finals and semi-finals squeezed into weekends. The finals required travel to another city early in the morning, followed by a demanding five-set match, an overnight stay and then an immediate return for the second final on the same day. He admitted that this format was something he had never experienced before and that the team approached the decisive matches exhausted.
Among other curiosities, Baranov highlighted the massive trophies awarded for the top three places, each nearly a metre tall, as well as the plastic floor surface used in matches, something he had only previously encountered in Argentina.
Looking ahead, Baranov confirmed that Deportivo Murano will take part in the South American Cup, which will be held in Campinas, Brazil. His team has been drawn in a group with the hosts Vôlei Renata and Argentina’s San Lorenzo. The tournament will begin on February 24 with a match against Vôlei Renata, a club featuring high-profile players such as Brazil internationals Bruno Rezende and Mauricio Borges, as well as Argentina national team member Bruno Lima.
“For any volleyball player, this is a dream: to play against top clubs and the best players in the world,” Baranov said. He added that he has admired Brazilian volleyball since his youth, especially legendary middle blockers Lucas Saatkamp and Sidão.
Baranov admitted that facing teams from Brazil and Argentina represents the fulfilment of a long-held ambition. At the same time, he stressed the importance of not only representing Deportivo Murano with pride, but also proving himself individually. “My goal is to give one hundred percent, help the team and try to reach the final stage of the tournament, so that people remember me as a dangerous middle blocker,” he concluded.
Zaki Feyzullayev
