The failures of the Russian national volleyball team at recent major tournaments are largely due to the departure of former leaders from the sport. The biggest loss is undoubtedly Ekaterina Gamova. She was the permanent diagonal national team for almost 15 years. Nevertheless, a new generation of volleyball players has grown. One of them is Natalya Nikolaevna Malykh, the main diagonal of the Krasnodar Dynamo.
Talented Junior
Malykh Natalia was born in 1993 in Volgograd in an ordinary family. Parents did not make any grandiose plans for their daughter's sports future. The girl came to volleyball almost by accident. So that the child does not hang around idle while she is taken out of school, Natasha was recorded in the volleyball section. So at the age of 8, her sporting life began.
Excellent physical data (the athlete’s height is now 186 cm) and natural talent played a role - Malykh perfectly learned how to play volleyball. The girl was also distinguished by a non-standard jumping technique, more similar in execution to a reception from a ballet. At 17, Malykh Natalia was already the main diagonal in the main team of the city. Volgograd Volzhanka then played in the second strongest division of the national championship in the major league.
The talented girl noticed in the national team. As part of the youth team, she went to the World Cup in Peru. The national team as a whole performed unsuccessfully, taking an offensive tenth place, but Natalya herself played just brilliantly, becoming the most productive volleyball player in every match.
To storm the Super League
Native Volgograd has become too cramped for the talent of Natalya Malykh, and in 2012 she goes on to play in the elite division of Russian volleyball. Her first Super League team is Zarechye-Odintsovo. Already in the starting season, the girl becomes the main diagonal team. In 2013, she had a chance to show her leadership skills. The central blocking team was injured by Ekaterina Bogacheva. Malykh Natalya, replacing her friend, played in an unusual position for herself and led the team behind her.
In the same year, the coach of the national team Yuri Marichev challenged her to the team. There she was the youngest among the players. Together with the national team, she takes prizes at the Montreux Will Masters tournament, wins the World Student Games in Kazan, wins the Yeltsin Cup.
For the first time in an official match for the Malykh team, Natalya played against the US team at the Grand Prix stage. The most significant is the victory at the European Championships, held in Germany and Switzerland.
Everything is good that season with club affairs. The third most important tournament in women's team volleyball is the Challenge Cup. Zarechye-Odintsovo reached the main match, and there Natalya Malykh proved herself as a real leader. Volleyball is a team game, but personal rewards are also important. The young diagonal scored 24 points in the decisive match against Besiktas and received the prize of the most valuable player of the final.
Natalia continued to play well for the national team in 2014. Without Ekaterina Gamova, the coaches relied on Malykh, she was the main diagonal. Together with the team, Natalia takes bronze medals at the pre-season Montreux Will Masters tournament, gaining the most points. Also girls became third in the Grand Prix competitions.
From Moscow region to Krasnodar
In August 2015, Natalya Malykh moved to the Krasnodar Dynamo. Twenty-year-old diagonal becomes the leader of the club. Together with her teammates, she wins the Russian Cup.
The team plays well in the European arena. For the first time in their history, girls become owners of the EKV Cup. Again Natalia plays against the Turkish team in the final. This time the rival was Galatasaray. The leaders show their best qualities in the final, and Natalya, having scored 26 points in the decisive game, again receives the MVP prize awarded to the most useful player.
According to the results of the regular season, the team takes third place, and Malykh gets a chance to play in the main European tournament - the Champions League. With all the club successes, Natalia inexplicably loses confidence in the coaching staff of the national team. In 2016, the playing time allocated to her in Grand Prix games is halved. The coach seems to specifically use Natalya in positions unusual for her, and she reduces her performance indicators.
As a result, the decision follows in general to remove Malykh from the composition of the main four-year tournament. The team goes to the Olympics in Rio without it. A terrible final result showed that not all of Marichev’s coaching decisions were correct. Who knows, if Natalya was in the team, everything could have turned out differently.
Nevertheless, Malykh continues to play high-quality for Dynamo. Recently, together with the team, she has earned the right to participate in the group stage of the Champions League, having passed the qualification stages.
Unsportsmanlike achievements
Natalya Malykh is not only distinguished by her game. Bright appearance makes her the object of special attention. In many tournaments, she receives prizes awarded to the most attractive volleyball player.
The diagonal itself refers to this with irony - they say I don’t know how to play, but it’s beautiful.
Now Natalya Malykh is at the very peak of her athletic form. It is hoped that the new coaches of the Russian national team will regain their confidence in her and will be able to fully use her talent.