The history of VC “Prometey” attracted the attention of volleyball fans in 2021, when VC “Dnipro” uncompromisingly won the tournament of the Higher League and earned a ticket to the Super League. This was the first profound victory for Dnipro volleyball players for serious volleyball and their place in elite Ukrainian sports.
Volodymyr Dubinsky, president of PVLU: “Strong, fit, with character, with their game style and unique team spirit. A team that knows how to surprise, that always strives to create a bright game on the court and always successfully achieves this. I believe that the Dnipro team will win not only the Ukrainian arena, but they can also “ignite” international and even world venues. And we, together with the entire team of the club, will make maximum efforts for this to happen.”
Today, VC “Prometey” is the most worthy opponent among domestic clubs, and its players are an example for newcomers. It is the “red and whites” who make up the lion's share of the national team of Ukraine, and we watched with joy and pride the success of the national team, which showed excellent results in the European Golden League - the men became silver medalists of the prestigious European competition. Vitalii Shchytkov, Oleksandr Boiko, and Dmytro Teromenko, who will also become one of Prometey's players next season, are multiplying the victories of the representatives of Ukraine today.
The coach of VC “Prometey” Andrii Levchenko is the right-hand man of the head coach of the national team Uģis Krastiņš, and the scoutman of the “red and whites” Volodymyr Bugakov helps the entire coaching staff and players to do their job perfectly. Therefore, VC “Prometey” can confidently add achievements at the international level to its assets.
The president of VC Prometey Mariia Aleksandrova does not doubt for a moment that men from Dnipro have a great future not only in the domestic arena. “Prometey” is capable of “conquering” Europe as well: “The 2023/2024 season also promises to go down in the history of the Dnipro club. Andrii Levchenko's team will play for the first time in a prestigious tournament - the Champions League. I believe that the guys will manage. After all, playing and winning in a country that is at war is already a victory. And Ukrainians have the courage to play and win, no matter what. This is our front, and victory will be in our favor!”
Already today, it is known that the club will have a legionnaire for the first time in history - and that will be the player of the National team of Serbia, Mihajlo Stanković. The well-known Italian expert Flavio Gulinelli joined the coaching staff. This, without a doubt, will bring the team to a new level worthy of competing with European clubs. Volleyball players of the national team of Ukraine - Dmytro Teromenko, Horden Brova, and Dmytro Viietskyi - also joined the team.
In addition, the club has a strong team that professionally takes care of all team issues. The president of VC Prometey Mariia Aleksandrova, the general manager of the club Dmytro Paliichuk, and managers Aurimas Mileyshis and Yaroslav Mazur are people who live with volleyball and know all the intricacies of the sport itself and the needs of volleyball players. Therefore, with such care, men never have to worry about organizational, household, and other issues.
Popularizing volleyball and increasing the club's rating in the domestic arena is the work of the press service team under the competent leadership of media director Mykhailo Baltaksa. It is they who provide the most prompt and unbiased information about the development of the club and all of domestic volleyball. And providing broadcasts of the most interesting and important matches from all corners of the world is the work of a team of technicians and video specialists led by marketing director Illia Hrechnykov.
2022/2023
The 2022/2023 domestic season has already gone down in the team's history as the most successful one. It became a powerful force for the team. Volleyball club “Prometey” was one of the first to become a member of PVLU and submitted an application for participation in the championship of Ukraine under the auspices of the Professional Volleyball League of Ukraine. On the eve of the season, serious personnel work was carried out inside the team. The team was led by Andrii Levchenko - honored coach of Ukraine, assistant head coach of the national team of Ukraine, head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine U-20, master of sports of Ukraine - a young ambitious mentor who, until recently, played on the court himself.
Oleksandr Boiko, one of the best beach volleyball players in the country, joined the Dnipro club. The libero participated in the U-20 European Championship, took 5th place at the U-19 World Championship, and also won all the draws of the Ukrainian Championship from U-14 to U-21. Yan Yereshchenko became an important acquisition, he has considerable experience and the title of International Class Master of Sports of Ukraine. Even before that, the team consisted of some of the best volleyball players in the country - champions and prize-winners of the elite division of Ukraine, winners of the Cup and Super Cup of Ukraine, the players with extensive experience of playing in foreign championships in Europe and the whole world. What is worth the game of the setter Vitalii Shchytkov and the blocker Heorhii Klepko, who in 2016 became the silver medalist of the U-20 European Championship.
So, new players, a new coach with a new approach to the training process, and to the very principle of the game, have given results quickly. In September 2022, Dnipro volleyball players won the tournament Prometey Open 2022. In December, the League Cup was held for the first time in the history of domestic volleyball, and VC “Prometey” became its silver medalist, losing to the team “Epicenter-Podolyany” in the finals. “Bisons” are long-standing principled rivals of the Dnipro team, and until April 2023, they did not allow the “red and whites” to take the lead.
However, it was this year's final round of the Super League that was victorious for “Prometey” - Andrii Levchenko's team has stepped to the top step of the podium for the first time in their history. And it was a well-deserved victory, because “Prometey” was simply incomparable in the last three matches of the championship. The players showed real fighting character and practically disarmed the favorites of the Super League - the team from Khmelnytskyi.
The president of PVLU Volodymyr Dubinsky does not hide his joy at the success of the Dnipro club: “I am very glad that the guys have justified my faith in their abilities. The team has really grown, and with this potential, they have a lot more victories ahead of them.”
The 2022/2023 season was Prometey's debut in the prestigious European tournament. In the 1/16 finals, the Dnipro volleyball players faced the 20-time champion of Israel and an experienced participant of the European Cups - the Hapoel Mate-Asher team. And even if they did not manage to win the victory, it was a useful experience that will be the first step on the way to victories in international arenas.
It should be noted that on the eve of the European Cup matches, the team lost the captain Dmytro Shorkin, who was unable to play for a long time due to an injury. Therefore, the team was led by the International Class Master of Sports of Ukraine, Vitalii Shchytkov, who received the main trophy of the Ukrainian Super League on behalf of VC “Prometey”. Vitalii has been in Prometey for less than two years, but with his competent game, he earned a leadership position among his colleagues and with his charisma, he won the favor of the fans. The opposite Dmytro Shapoval, who joined the team in the fall of 2021, also discovered himself in a new way in domestic competitions but quickly became almost the best player in the position.
2021/2022
Dnipro started the 2021/2022 season as a newcomer to the country's main championship, but a very ambitious one. The guys needed a mentor who would be able to reveal their potential and grow this team into a team of champions. Sometimes it was a lack of professionalism, sometimes equanimity, and sometimes even courage and the ability to take risks, so in the fall a new coach appeared in the team - Volodymyr Orlov. The Bulgarian specialist has considerable coaching experience (before that, Mr. Volodymyr coached the women's national team of Ukraine). Even earlier, his place of work was the Bulgarian men's club “Lokomotiv”; he also worked in the coaching staffs of the Bulgarian national teams. It is interesting that the specialist was also the assistant of Ivan Petkov, the current coach of the women's “Prometey” when he coached VC “Maritsa”. A new hall, a new coach, an updated team, and a new name - VC “Dnipro-Prometey”.
Yaroslav Mazur, the manager of VC Prometey, who also once played for the club, recalls: “The word “Prometey” in the name of the team has become a symbol - it added fire to the players, self-confidence, and their capabilities. Volodymyr Orlov radically changed the practice approach - also this improved the athletes' sports skills. And the everyday conditions of training gave the team arguments for a completely different mood - a course for victory!”
The team from Dnipro showed clear progress, quickly adjusted to the European level of the game, and ended the season with bronze Super League awards. But, unfortunately, prematurely - due to the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
This briefly derailed the whole established work of the club. However, the Dnipro players did not give up here either. In the hope of a quick return to the court, they started volunteering, prepared dinners for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and soldiers of Territorial defense forces and donated to the needs of the military. By the way, the H10 Poseidon II reconnaissance drone was purchased by the PVLU volleyball community, not without the contributions of the members of VC Dnipro. This powerful “bird” with the proud inscription “Prometey” is handed over to the hands of our heroes on the front lines.
Meanwhile, the families of many were caught in the occupation and needed the help of their sons. The guys, together with the whole of Ukraine, tried to do anything to help and alleviate the suffering of those who were seriously affected by the war. Dmytro Shapoval, who only joined the team in the fall, came to the volunteer headquarters every day and took on any work. “My family is now in Hryhorivka, in Chernihiv Oblast. It is hot in there. Therefore, I help - as I can and with everything I can. Today, my hands are needed here, in the shop where food is prepared for the soldiers. I hope that I will be able to pick up a volleyball again soon.”
It was also unfortunate that “Prometey” had just started its new path, and the war stopped the victorious steps of the Dnipro club.
2020/2021
“Prometey”, then VC “Dnipro” loudly announced itself in 2020. Even then, sports patron Volodymyr Dubinsky believed in the Dnipro volleyball players and began to help the team. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Vitalii Osipov, the team's former coach, was able to assemble a team of players who took part in the Higher League of Ukraine.
It was a difficult season: matches with empty stands, and constant illnesses of team members, which prevented the team from developing its style of game. Injuries kept adding due to a lack of game practice. They practiced in the coldest sports hall in Ukraine. However, the boys managed to prove themselves - in the “Final Four” of the Higher League, VC “Dnipro” won five victories in six matches, became the winner of the tournament, and won a ticket to the elite division. This, probably, became the starting point for the “red and whites” to the winning starts, to a team with a new name and stunning success.
