Fiery clashes for PlusLiga medals coming up

The final playoffs for the distribution of the medals in the Polish PlusLiga, with fiery match-ups in a best-of-five format in both the championship and the bronze medal series, are about to serve off on Wednesday. Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and BOGDANKA LUK Lublin will cross swords for what would be a historic first title for either club. Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj and PGE Projekt Warsaw will battle it out for the third place on the podium and a spot in next season’s CEV Champions League.

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Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie will play host to BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in the opening match of the best-of-five championship playoff at the Arena Sosnowiec on Wednesday, April 30, at 18:00 local time (16:00 UTC). The two teams will then alternate in hosting until one side collects three wins and triumphs with the national crown.

Reigning national super cup holders Aluron finished the regular season in third place on 72 points and a 24-6 win-loss record. They were the most convincing team in the quarterfinals, losing only a set in the two matches against Asseco Resovia Rzeszow. After trading five-set home victories with PGE Projekt Warsaw in their semifinal series, Aluron persevered through another five-setter in the deciding third match to celebrate a win on the road and qualify for the gold medal series. Now the club from Zawierce is targeting its first ever PlusLiga crown, after taking the bronze in 2022 and the silver last season.

Lublin finished the regular season in fourth place on 63 and 21-9. They had a rough start to their quarterfinal series, losing at home to ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle in four sets, but then they bounced back with two straight-set victories, away and at home, to edge forward to the semifinals. BOGDANKA and mighty Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj exchanged four-set away wins before the squad from Lublin beat the defending champions again at their home venue in four sets to dethrone them and advance to its first ever PlusLiga final. BOGDANKA has never medaled in the PlusLiga, but already has a European trophy in its showcase as it won the CEV Challenge Cup last month.

Both games between Aluron and BOGDANKA during the regular season were decided in tie-breaker fifth sets with the visitors emerging victorious on both occasions. Lublin’s 3-2 win in Zawercie in September was the only one they have achieved against this opponent in the overall eight head-to-head encounters they have had in history.

Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v PGE Projekt Warsaw

The best-of-five bronze medal playoff will also get underway on Wednesday, April 30, with Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj welcoming PGE Projekt Warsaw to the HWS at 20:45 (18:45) for the first match of the series.

Regular season winners, recently crowned Poland Cup laureates and champions of the last two seasons, Jastrzebski Wegiel were certainly aiming at their fifth national title, but stopped short of making it to this year’s final. Instead, they will try to earn their ninth bronze and overall 17^th medal in the history of the national championships, as well as another appearance in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, the Champions League. Before being stopped by Lublin in the semifinals, Jastrzebski Wegiel topped the regular season table on 75 and 24-6, and then went on to outplay Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa in the quarterfinals with a straight-set win at home and a tough 3-2 victory on the road.

PGE Projekt Warsaw scored the highest number of wins during the regular season and finished second on 72 and 26-4. They won both matches of their quarterfinal series against PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow – 3-0 at home and 3-2 on the road, before yielding to Aluron in the semifinals after three five-set duels. With two silver and two bronze medals on their PlusLiga record, the club from the Polish capital is aiming at its fifth podium and another participation in the Champions League.

The all-time head-to-head record between the two clubs in the PlusLiga stands at 32-20 Jastrzebski Wegiel’s way. This season, the champions claimed a 3-1 home victory over Projekt in October, but the squad from Warsaw took their partial revenge in January with a 3-2 victory at home.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 final playoff, 1st leg:
Apr 30, 18:00 local (16:00 UTC): Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin

PlusLiga 2024-2025 third-place playoff, 1st leg:
Apr 30, 20:45 local (18:45 UTC): Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v PGE Projekt Warsaw

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