Projekt take over the top, Cuprum rise for survival

The men’s volleyball PlusLiga in Poland does not cease to surprise. The last four matches of the 19^th leg on Sunday and Monday offered some interesting results, once again proving the exciting unpredictability of the competition. Defending champions BOGDANKA LUK Lublin lost at Asseco Resovia Rzeszow, allowing PGE Projekt Warsaw to take over the top of the current standings after sweeping their match at Energa Trefl Gdansk. Bottom-placed Steam Hemarpol Politechnika Czestochowa brought home a point from their visit to Indykpol AZS Olsztyn, while Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski made an important step in the battle for survival in the league with a shutout of their hosts Slepsk Malow Suwalki.

• Watch the PlusLiga on VBTV

Sunday’s opening match unfolded in a five-set battle. It was the second between Asseco Resovia Rzeszow and BOGDANKA LUK Lublin this PlusLiga season and, unlike last month’s Poland Cup final, it went Resovia’s way for the second time – 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 15-8). Outside hitter Arthur Szalpuk inspired the winners with a match-high 28 points. He registered a 66% success rate in attack and put away three kill blocks and two aces, earning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Resovia improved to 34 points and a 12-6 win-loss record in fourth place, narrowing the gap to BOGDANKA, who dropped to third on 36 and 12-6.

Last year’s PlusLiga bronze medalists PGE Projekt Warsaw took advantage of the situation and climbed up to the first place on 38 and 13-5, also surpassing FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship bronze medalists Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, who remained second on 36 and 12-5, but with a game in hand. Projekt mastered a 3-0 (34-32, 25-21, 25-21) away victory at Energa Trefl Gdansk, who are in sixth place on 29 and 11-7. Outside hitter Bartosz Bednorz was the best scorer of the match with 21 points for Projekt, producing three kill blocks and an ace, and spiking at a 63% success rate on the way to the MVP recognition.

The late match on Sunday offered another five-set thriller, with Indykpol AZS Olsztyn squeezing out a nail-biting 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 30-32, 20-18) home win over table trailers Steam Hemarpol Politechnika Czestochowa deep into the overtime of the tie-breaker. In a spectacular scoring race between two Czech opposites, Jan Hadrava contributed a team-high 26 points for the winners, including three blocks and an ace, and was honored as match MVP, while his counterpart and compatriot Patrik Indra topped the chart with a match-high 29 points for Steam. Indykpol occupy fifth place, now on 33 and 12-5, with a game in hand, while Steam are still in 14^th place, now on 12 and 3-14, also with a game in hand.

The last match of the leg was played on Monday evening. The visiting team, Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski, delivered a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-22) shutout of their hosts Slepsk Malow Suwalki and overtook Barkom Kazhany Lviv into 12^th place on 18 and 5-13, leaving a five-point distance to the relegation zone. Slepsk Malow failed to capitalize on the opportunity to get very close to the playoff contenders. They remained on 21 and 6-12 in 10^th place. French outside Mathis Henno led the winners with 18 points, including two aces and a block, and picked up the MVP nomination, while Slepsk Malow’s opposite Bartosz Filipiak emerged as the top scorer of the match with 20 points, all in swings.

PlusLiga action will continue on Wednesday, February 4, with the last 16^th-leg fixture, between Steam and Aluron, followed by the first six matches of the 20^th leg from Thursday to Sunday, February 5 to 8.

PlusLiga 2025-2026 upcoming matches:
Feb 04, 20:00 local (19:00 UTC): Steam Hemarpol Politechnika Czestochowa v Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
Feb 05, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): InPost ChKS Chelm v JSW Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj
Feb 06, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Slepsk Malow Suwalki v PGE Projekt Warsaw
Feb 06, 20:00 local (19:00 UTC): BOGDANKA LUK Lublin v Barkom Kazhany Lviv
Feb 07, 12:30 local (11:30 UTC): ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle v Energa Trefl Gdansk
Feb 07, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v Asseco Resovia Rzeszow
Feb 08, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski v Indykpol AZS Olsztyn

PlusLiga 2025-2026 schedule and results

Quick links:
Polish PlusLiga
VBTV
Volleyball World Facebook
Volleyball World X
Volleyball World Instagram
Volleyball World YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter