No. 11, pp. 73–74

Received: 09.10.2026 | Published: 23.10.2026

CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Objective of the study is to identify and substantiate the factors determining the outcome of the final matches of elite men’s volleyball tournaments under conditions where the winning team is inferior to its opponent in the efficiency of its attacking actions. Methods and structure of the study. The study is based on a statistical analysis of four final matches – of the OG-2024, the WC-2025, the VNL-2026 and the Russian Championship-2026 – using the Data Volley software. The key indicators were calculated: attack efficiency, block effectiveness, the number of aces and the number of errors; the significance of the differences between the teams was assessed by Student’s t-test (p < 0.05). The data were obtained from the official match protocols and video recordings, after which the indicators of the winner and of the loser in each final were compared. Results and conclusions. The analysis of the finals of four elite tournaments showed that in half of the cases victory was achieved with a lower attack efficiency – through superiority in the block, in aces and in the minimisation of errors (for example, in the finals of the OG-2024 and the VNL-2026). In the remaining matches success likewise correlated with an advantage in the destructive components of the game. This confirms the «paradox of attack efficiency»: at the elite level the decisive significance belongs to the balance of the game components and not only to the effectiveness of the attack. Consequently, it is advisable to broaden the criteria for assessing competitive activity by adding the indicators of the block, the serve and errors.

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