24 teams in 24 days — Day 2: Team Kovaleva
We’re profiling all 24 teams, one per day, to get ready for the return of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling leading up to the start of the Humpty’s Champions Cup.
Day 2: Team Kovaleva
Lineup: Alina Kovaleva (skip), Maria Komarova (third), Galina Arsenkina (second), Ekaterina Kuzmina (lead)
From: Russian Curling Federation
Team Kovaleva has played in two previous Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events qualifying for the playoffs both times. They made their debut at the 2019 Humpty’s Champions Cup in Saskatoon and went 2-2 through pool play then scored a 9-6 victory over Team Sinclair to qualify for the playoffs. Kovaleva lost 8-6 to Team Einarson in the women’s quarterfinals to end their run.
The team returned to the series for the 2020 Meridian Canadian Open in Yorkton, Sask., and took it one step farther. They went 3-1 through the triple knockout to qualify for the playoffs out of the B brackets. Kovaleva took on Team Jones in the women’s quarterfinals and scored three points in the eighth end to win 9-7. They fell 7-1 to Team Kim in the semifinals.
After the pair of Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events, Team Kovaleva will stick around in the bubble to compete in the world women’s curling championship.
Prior to skipping her own squad, Kovaleva played with skip Anna Sidorova earning bronze (2016) and silver (2017) medals at the world championship plus gold (2015) at the European Championships.
Arsenkina won the European Championships gold medal in 2016 with skip Victoria Moiseeva. She also captured bronze at the 2018 world championship and was named to the all-star team at second shooting 90 per cent through the tournament in North Bay, Ont.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling returns with the Humpty’s Champions Cup, April 14-18, followed by the Princess Auto Players’ Championship, April 20-25. Both events will be played at Calgary’s WinSport Arena and closed to the general public. Watch live coverage on Sportsnet, stay tuned for the broadcast schedule.