PlusLiga 2024-2025

Third and possibly last leg of PlusLiga medal playoffs coming up on Wednesday

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Published 04:50, 07 May 2025

Aluron v BOGDANKA (Photo: Krzysztof Popiol / plusliga.pl)

Photo: Krzysztof Popiol / plusliga.pl

The Polish PlusLiga season could be over on Wednesday, if BOGDANKA LUK Lublin and PGE Projekt Warsaw score away victories, or not, if at least one of the home teams – Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj, respectively – wins its match to narrow the gap in its best-of-five medal playoff. Jastrzebski Wegiel host Projekt for the third match of their bronze medal series at 17:30 local time (15:30 UTC), and Aluron welcomes BOGDANKA for the third game of their championship playoff at 20:30 (18:30) on May 7.

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Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin

BOGDANKA LUK Lublin have a 2-0 advantage in the final series against Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and they are only a win away from a historic national title, as they visit their opponents at Arena Sosnowiec on Wednesday evening. Lublin hammered out an away 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) victory over Aluron in the first match and doubled their lead with another 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-14) sweep of the second at home.

On the way to the final, Lublin finished the regular season in fourth place on 63 points and a 21-9 win-loss record. They lost the first match of their quarterfinal series at home to ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle in four sets, but then they recovered with two straight-set victories, away and at home, to progress to the semifinals. BOGDANKA and regular season winners Jastrzebski Wegiel 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 the final. This year’s CEV Challenge Cup winners BOGDANKA had never medaled in the PlusLiga before, so being in this final is already a historic achievement for them.

Reigning national super cup holders Aluron finished the regular season in third place on 72 and 24-6. They lost only a set in the two quarterfinal matches against Resovia. After trading five-set home victories with Projekt in their semifinal series, Aluron battled it out through another five-setter in the deciding third match to celebrate a road win and qualify for the gold medal series. The club from Zawierce is targeting its first ever PlusLiga crown, after taking the bronze in 2022 and the silver last season.

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 wins in the first two matches of the final series were only the second and the third victories they have ever achieved against this opponent in the overall 10 head-to-head encounters they have had so far.

“The rivals are really playing great, but I think that we have to focus on our game, on improving the basic elements. I think that's our biggest problem. On Wednesday we have to try to extend this rivalry, because so far they've just beaten us easily twice. If we improve these basic elements, we will definitely take up the fight in Sosnowiec, but it will be difficult.” Mateusz Bieniek, middle blocker and captain of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
“We approached the previous matches with the attitude that these could be long and fierce matches. After all, the Zawiercie team has no shortage of experienced, strong and titled players. Looking from our side, theoretically we only have one step to take, but this does not prove anything and does not guarantee us victory. We know that our rivals can revive at any moment and return to their best game. It will be important for us not to make things easier for them. We must focus primarily on our game and on what we have to do on the court. We need to give it our all again to show the best volleyball from our side. However, I expect this third match to be very difficult.” Aleks Grozdanov, middle blocker of BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v PGE Projekt Warsaw

Regular season winners and still reigning champions Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj will surprisingly end up with a medal, if they don’t find a way to change the course of their third-place playoff against PGE Projekt Warsaw. Two wins behind after the first two games of the best-of-five series and with their backs against the wall, Jastrzebski Wegiel are in a must-win situation as they host the opponent at the HWS on Wednesday evening. PGE Projekt Warsaw mastered a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21) victory in Jastrzebie-Zdroj to edge ahead in the series and doubled their lead with a 3-1 (28-30, 26-24, 25-21, 25-20) win at home in the second match.

Projekt 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.

Four-time Polish champions, including the last two seasons, and recently crowned Poland Cup laureates Jastrzebski Wegiel are trying to earn their ninth bronze and overall 17th medal in the history of the national championships, as well as another appearance in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. 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.

The all-time head-to-head record between the two clubs in the PlusLiga stands at 32-22 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, and followed up with another two wins in the first two games of this series.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 first-place playoff, 3rd leg:
May 7, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin

PlusLiga 2024-2025 third-place playoff, 3rd leg:
May 7, 17:30 local (15:30 UTC): Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v PGE Projekt Warsaw

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