STAL Mielec upset UNI Opole in the first leg of the quarterfinals

Ranked sixth in the 2025-2026 Tauron Liga regular season, ITA TOOLS STAL Mielec caused the first upset of the playoffs, starting the postseason with a shocking win over UNI Opole on Tuesday and being the only side to triumph on the road so far.

The teams met in the first leg of the best-of-three quarterfinals, and, even playing on the road, STAL Mielec triumphed 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22), eliminating their opponents' homecourt advantage and forcing them to win away from their stadium to keep the series alive.

• Watch the Tauron Liga live on VBTV

STAL Mielec's setter Julia Bińczycka earned the match's MVP award after orchestrating the team's offense that had opposite Weronika Sobiczewska scoring 19 points (16 kills, two aces, one block) and outside hitters Aleksandra Kazała and Anna Bączyńska adding 16 each.

"It was a great team performance," said middle blocker Rozalia Moszyńska. "We're growing as a team at the right moment, and we have our goals very clearly established, and we'll go after them."

UNI Opole's veteran opposite Katarzyna Zaroślinska-Król led all scorers with 24 points (20 kills, four blocks), five more than Swedish outside hitter Hanna Hellvig.

Also on Tuesday, regular-season winners and defending champions KS DevelopRes Rzeszów confirmed the expectations and swept (25-9, 25-20, 25-16) eighth-placed Metalkas Pałac Bydgoszcz at home. Opposite Taylor Bannister, the match's top scorer with 16 points (13 kills, three aces), and Polish national team outside hitter Julita Piasecka, who scored 13 (12 kills, one ace) and earned the match's MVP award, were the main standouts in their victory.

Budowlani reverse sweep Chemik Police

The most exciting match of the first leg was held on Wednesday and had PGE Budowlani Łódź coming back from a two-set deficit to beat LOTTO Chemik Police 3-2 (22-25, 15-25, 25-19, 27-25, 15-9) in front of their home fans.

Swiss opposite Maja Storck was massive for Budowlani, leading their incredible comeback with a superb 32-point (30 kills, two blocks) performance and taking home the MVP award. Outside hitter Paulina Damaske was also in great form, contributing 24 points (17 kills, four blocks, three aces) in the victory.

Chemik Police's strong road display was led by Olympian outside hitter Natalia Mędrzyk, who fired 22 points (19 kills, two blocks, one ace).

Also on Wednesday, BKS BOSTIK ZGO Bielsko-Biała made their homecourt advantage count, too, and started their series against ŁKS Commercecon Łódź with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-21) victory.

Libero Adriana Adamek earned the MVP award, while Estonian opposite Kertu Laak was the most productive player on the winning side with 24 points (20 kills, two blocks, two aces). Brazilian outside hitter Regiane Bidias and Ukrainian opposite Anastasiia Hryshchuk scored 11 points each for Commercecon.

Tauron Liga - Match Schedule & Results

The second-leg matches of the quarterfinals will start over the weekend, with Pałac hosting DevelopRes and STAL Mielec playing UNI Opole at home on Saturday. Commercecon and Bielsko-Biała will meet for the second time on Sunday, while Chemik Police and Budowlani play on Monday.

Quick links:
Tauron Liga
VBTV
Volleyball World Facebook
Volleyball World X
Volleyball World Instagram
Volleyball World YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter