Jurassic Knights are still alive! The madness in the game for PlusLiga gold continues
The entire Polish volleyball world probably knows about the personnel problems of coach Michał Winiarski's team. In addition to the injury of attacker Karol Butryn in the second final match, there was also an injury to the middle blocker Jurij Gladyr. Both sat on Wednesday evening behind the advertising board of the hall in Sosnowiec (where the Jurajski Rycerze play their matches as the hosts in the play-offs) right next to coach Nikola Grbić, who was present at the match. And "Winiar" had to traditionally carve something out based not only on injuries, but also on the number of volleyball players with foreign passports on the court at the same time.
Spectacle in Sosnowiec! Georg Grozer (this time) better than Wilfredo LeonWiniarski, who could have three foreign players in the game, "sacrificed" the libero. Luke Perry remained in the reserve square. His place was taken by Szymon Gregorowicz. And it must be admitted that it was the right choice. The court could have featured a trio: attacker Georg Grozer (Germany), setter Miguel Tavares (Portugal) and receiver Aaron Russell (USA).
On the visitors' side, however, the solutions were well-known and, above all, effective. The Lublin team could have, but did not have to, on Wednesday. Which, as many examples have shown, can be really beneficial when two evenly matched teams meet. However, the faith in Lublin was huge, looking at the tightly packed visiting sector. The loud LKPS Fan Club rose to the occasion, creating strong competition for the always loud fans of Jurajskie Rycerzy.
How did the match itself look like? The first two sets were quite unexpected, looking at the previous matches (two 3:0 for Bogdanka LUK) for the vice-champions of Poland from the previous season. Grozer performed brilliantly, fueled not only by effective attacks (7 points in the first set alone), but also by loud support all around. Bartosz Kwolek and libero Gregorowicz are also worth appreciating. Russell was also able to add something from himself, so basically - everything that should have worked on the hosts' side. The guests, on the other hand, had a problem especially with the right wing.
Coach Massimo Botti was looking for an idea, introducing Mateusz Malinowski to the pitch from the second set. "Malina" is an expert on a daily basis, mainly in task changes on the serve, but if necessary - he can also valuablely support the team. Overall, the introduction of Malinowski also slightly changed the idea of playmaking on the side of the setter Marcin Komenda. Not necessarily only high, but also faster, with a left-handed player on the right wing.
Tactical chess was visible on the pitch. The third match in a short time between the two teams – this is a recipe for an open-book game. Individual formations, blocking, protection, and finally favorite attack zones. All this is the salt of volleyball that we could observe in Sosnowiec. Set number 2 was important in terms of the result. Although it was won just as well as the first one (25:20), the players from Wierch had to make up for a large loss from the beginning of the set (e.g. 1:5). In previous matches, Winiarski's team did not manage to do such a thing.
It also failed... in the third set, also started with 1:5. Bogdanka LUK began to assert itself, and the individual leaders - led by Wilfredo Leon - showed that they did not intend to leave Sosnowiec quickly.
The strongest tug-of-war took place in the fourth set. This was volleyball at its best. Strong blows from both sides and the lead, which, if it changed, was literally by a point or two, once to one side, once to the other. Example? 18:16 after Kwolek's service ace. In a moment? 18:18 - this time Malinowski shows off with an ace, interestingly, in the past a volleyball player of the club from Zawiercie.
Most importantly, on Wednesday we could see a fight, as befits a meeting of the two best teams in Poland.
Mikołaj Sawicki took the lead in the final part with two aces (from 19:19 to 21:19 for Bogdanka LUK). The visitors were already leading 24:22. However, after Grozer's effective counterattack (Leon's attack had been previously defended), the Jura Knights managed to lead to a thriller in the final part (24:24). The hosts had the first match point at 26:25. The match was finished by Russell, who pushed the ball to 29:27.
Match number four in the game for the PlusLiga gold this coming Saturday (i.e. May 10). This time the competition moves to Lublin. Bogdanka LUK is still in a better position in the series, having a 2:1 lead on their side. However, as Jurajscy Rycerze showed on Wednesday evening, they will certainly do everything to fulfill their dreams of gold. This volleyball battle starts at 5:30 p.m.
The final will be broadcast traditionally on Polsat Sport 1, and online, including via the Polsat Box Go platform,
PGE Projekt Warszawa with bronze medals. Polish champions without a winBefore the first match in the game for gold began in Sosnowiec, the competition for third place at the finish line of the 2024/25 season was decided in Jastrzębie-Zdrój. Although the hosts for the second time in this series were the best team in the regular season, the abdicating Polish champion – JSW Jastrzębski – the club from Silesia was ultimately left with nothing.
Tomasz Fornal and company lost for the third time to PGE Projekt Warszawa, this time 2:3. Adding to that the loss in the semi-final against Bogdanka LUK (also at home, also after a tie-break), it was the fourth match without success for the team coached by Marcelo Mendez. It seems that the team from Jastrzębie-Zdrój needs a quick reset. Next week, to close the season, JSW Jastrzębski will play in the semi-final of the Champions League. In the Final Four at the Atlas Arena in Łódź, the Jastrzębie team will face... Aluron CMC Warta. However, it is already known that this will be a symbolic farewell to these games for the club from Jastrzębie-Zdrój, because fourth place in the PlusLiga does not grant a ticket to the club elite on the Old Continent.
The Warsaw team ended the season in a completely different mood. A 3-0 series win against the Polish champions is always a nice change after losing the semi-final to the Jurajskie Rycerze. The bronze medal is also a repeat of last season. Let's add that the capital club will undergo significant personnel changes. Many experienced volleyball players are saying goodbye to the club, including captain Andrzej Wrona, receiver Artur Szalpuk, and center Jakub Kowalczyk. There was no shortage of emotion on both sides during the official decoration ceremony. Both teams will never see each other in such line-ups again.
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