Big games produce big results in PlusLiga midweek action

After three losses in a row, defending champions BOGDANKA LUK Lublin got back on the winning track with an away victory at mighty JSW Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj. Asseco Resovia Rzeszow suffered their first loss of the season in a five-set battle at home against mighty ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle. In another thrilling five-setter, Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie took the battle with hosts Indykpol AZS Olsztyn for the top of the current standings. Rookies InPost ChKS Chelm gained their second PlusLiga victory, at home over Steam Hemarpol Politechnika Czestochowa. This sums up the exciting results the four midweek matches of the men’s volleyball PlusLiga produced in Poland on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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In a big duel between the 2024-2025 champions and the 2024-2025 regular season winners, Lublin put together a 3-1 (25-15, 26-28, 28-26, 25-17) victory, their second over Jastrzebski Wegiel in two weeks, after the Poland Super Cup final. Opposite Kewin Sasak put away four kill blocks and an ace towards a match-high 25 points for BOGDANKA. Outside hitter Wilfredo Leon added 17 points, including two blocks and two aces, while Bulgarian middle blocker Aleks Grozdanov chipped in with 14, including two blocks and three aces. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to setter Marcin Komenda. Middle Lukasz Usowicz and Serbian outside Miran Kujundzic led the home team with 13 points apiece. Lublin climbed to fourth place on 13 points and a 4-3 win-loss record, while Jastrzebski Wegiel dropped below the red line for the playoffs, to ninth place on 7 and 3-3.

ZAKSA, on the other hand, entered the playoff zone, in seventh place on 9 and 3-3, after their 3-2 (21-25, 25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12) road win in Rzeszow. It was Resovia’s first loss of the season and they are now on 14 and 5-1 in third place. Belgian outside Igor Grobelny earned the top scorer and the MVP honors with a 61% success rate in attack, four kill blocks and an ace towards a match-high 19 points. His cross-court teammate Rafal Szymura added another 18 points for ZAKSA. Italian international opposite Kamil Rychlicki (13 points) and middle blockers Karol Urbanowicz (13) and Konrad Stajer (12) also reached the double digits on the winners’ side, while sub-in opposite Jakub Bucki was Resovia’s leading scorer with 14 points, including two aces.

In the clash between the top two teams in the table, Aluron, last season’s silver medalists in both the PlusLiga and Europe’s CEV Champions League, and participants in next month’s FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship in Brazil, achieved a 3-2 (25-20, 17-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10) road win over Indykpol with 20 points from opposite Bartlomiej Boladz and another 19 from middle blocker and captain Mateusz Bieniek, who spiked at an 81% success rate. American outside Aaron Russell contributed another 15 points, while Portuguese playmaker Miguel Tavares claimed the MVP recognition. Indykpol’s German outside Moritz Karlitzek was the best scorer of the match with 22 points, including three aces. Aluron improved to 17 and 6-2 on top of the table, a point above Indykpol, who are running second on 16 and 5-2.

PlusLiga newcomers Chelm pushed up from the bottom of the table and surged to 11^th place on 5 and 2-4 after their 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23) home win over Steam. They also surpassed their opponents from Czestochowa, who dropped to 12^th place on 3 and 1-5, and a slightly better point ratio than 13^th-placed Slepsk Malow Suwalki. Opposite Remigiusz Kapica (61% in attack, two aces) and Iranian outside Amirhossein Esfandiar (56% in attack, two blocks, one ace) contributed 16 points each towards Chelm’s victory, and the MVP award went to Kapica. His Czech counterpart Patrik Indra was the best scorer of the match with 21 points (67% in attack, two aces, one block) for Steam.

Next on the PlusLiga agenda are the seven matches of the seventh leg to be played from Friday, November 21, to Monday, November 24.

PlusLiga 2025-2026 seventh-leg schedule:
Nov 21, 20:00 local (19:00 UTC): PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow v Steam Hemarpol Politechnika Czestochowa
Nov 22, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Asseco Resovia Rzeszow v Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
Nov 22, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): JSW Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v InPost ChKS Chelm
Nov 23, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Indykpol AZS Olsztyn v Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski
Nov 23, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): PGE Projekt Warsaw v Slepsk Malow Suwalki
Nov 23, 20:00 local (19:00 UTC): Barkom Kazhany Lviv v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
Nov 24, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Energa Trefl Gdansk v ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle

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