While PGE Projekt Warszawa started the new season in a very good style, winning six of the first seven matches and becoming the leader of PlusLiga, on Wednesday at Torwar it faced the again disappointing Asseco Resovia Rzeszów, which, although it played only five matches, had a negative result in them. balance 2:3. The Rzeszów team was looking for a “big” victory at all costs, which they could build on in the next matches, but in the seventh round they had one of the most difficult tasks to complete.
A fierce hit of PlusLiga at Torwar. Under Grbic's supervision, the leader from Warsaw won again
The PlusLiga leader tried to show superiority over the rival from Rzeszów from the first ball. Two service aces by Jakub Kochanowski allowed the Warsaw team to jump 7:3 and start building a solid advantage, which at the optimal moment was up to ten points. After an attack error by Resovia's center Dawid Woch, Projekt was leading 16:6. Piotr Graban's team was able to stop Resovia with 43 percent. in adoption and only 37 percent in attack, and it is very difficult to win against such an attack.
The Rzeszów team tried to get back into the game mainly by blocking. They scored five points from this element in the first set. Mainly thanks to this, the home team's advantage decreased to three points (20:17) after Klemen Cebulj's block on Artur Szalpuk. Then coach Graban decided to make a double substitution, introducing Michał Kozłowski and Linus Weber, which unblocked the Warsaw team, which eventually won after a service error. Cebulja won until the 19th minute.
At the end of the first game, even the coach of the Olympic vice-champions, Nikola Grbic, appeared in the hall and observed several volleyball players from his team, including: Jakub Kochanowski or Bartłomiej Bołądź. Perhaps this also motivated Bartosz Bednorz, who was not selected to represent the Olympic team, as his team looked much better in the second and third sets. Halfway through the second set, Bednorz had excellent statistics of 71%. admission and 64 percent in attack, and Resovia was able to maintain an advantage of three or four points. After a successful attack by Stephen Boyer, she was leading 17:13 at Torwar.
The Warsaw team did not give up. An effective counterattack by Artur Szalpuk and then an attack error by Dawid Woch gave the hosts a contact (19:20), which, however, was quickly wasted by a technical error by Szalpuk (19:22), who did not want to agree with the referee after he whistled the ball thrown to him. The set ended with a successful tip from Bartosz Bednorz, thanks to which Resovia won 25:21.
The hosts started the third set without Bartłomiej Bołądź, who was replaced by Linus Weber. Bołądź had not played a good match up to that point – he had only 44 percent. in attack, and scoring nine points, he “gave” as many as eight points directly to his rivals. In the Rzeszów team, the criticized setter Gregor Ropret played only part of the first set, after which Łukasz Kozub appeared on the court for a longer period.
This game was very even for a long time, and neither team was able to gain even two points from their opponents. This changed only at 14:15, when Dawid Woch scored two more blocks, and in the meantime, Bartosz Bednorz finished his counterattack with a triple block. After another successful counterattack by Bednorz, which meant five points in a row for the guests (14:19), Project coach Piotr Graban was forced to call time-out.
The Warsaw team responded with a series of four consecutive points, which ended in controversy related to an error by Resovia's quarterback Łukasz Kozub (18:19). At least according to the judges, because the guests surrounded the second referee, Paweł Morawski, in a circle, not wanting to accept this decision. Two more successful attacks by Stephen Boyer gave the Rzeszów team a break (19:22), which in turn allowed them to take the advantage until the end of the set. After a broken serve by Kevin Tillie, Resovia won 25:22 and took the lead 2:1. What was certainly interesting was the fact that the Project lost this game despite receiving as many as 64%. effectiveness in attack.
Linus Weber decided to chase after the previously well-disposed Bednorz and Boyer. The German attacker first made three more successful attacks, also on counter-attacks, and then the guests were unable to finish the attack thanks to his serve. Effect? A quick 7-2 for Projekt to start the fourth set. Artur Szalpuk's effective counterattack allowed the hosts to gain as many as six points advantage (17:11) and the capital team turned out to be unstoppable in this game. Maintaining a safe distance until the very end and winning after Weber's service ace to 18, the Warsaw volleyball players led to a tie-break.
The project was able to transfer the positive energy from the previous game to the decisive set. A block by Jakub Kochanowski and successful counterattacks by Kevin Tillie and Linus Weber gave the hosts a quick 4:1 and caused a time-out by Tuomas Sammelvuo. In the next three balls, Resovia was able to lead to a draw at 4:4 and after blocking Artur Szalpuk attacking from the sixth zone, this time Piotr Graban asked for a time-out.
While as the minutes passed from the beginning of the fourth set, Bartosz Bednorz was fading and Resovia's game was based only on Stephen Boyer, the Project's reserve attacker, Linus Weber, was doing wonders. Three more (!) service aces from the German allowed the Warsaw team to change sides with the score being 8:4. This is how the Project broke Resovia. Weber added an effective attack, the PlusLiga leader also added two more point blocks and the score was 11:5, which ended the emotions in this match. After an effective triple block on Klemen Cebulju, Projekt Warszawa won the tie-break 15:9, and the whole match 3:2, achieving the seventh victory in the eighth match of this season.
Jakub Kochanowski was chosen the MVP of this match, scoring 15 points for 82%. in attack and adding 4 blocks and 2 service aces. The most effective player for the hosts was Artur Szalpuk (19 points), and it is impossible to underestimate the brilliant change of Linus Weber. The German scored 16 points out of 60 percent. in attack and with four service aces, three of which were key in the tie-break. For Asseco Resovia, Stephen Boyer scored 26 points and Bartosz Bednorz 15.
PGE Projekt Warszawa – Asseco Resovia Rzeszów 3:2 (25:19, 21:25, 22:25, 25:18, 15:9)
Design: Firlej, Kochanowski (15 points), Tillie (13), Semeniuk (4), Szalpuk (19), Bołądź (11), Wojtaszek (libero) and Weber (16), Kozłowski, Borkowski, Wrona (3), Gruszczyński (libero).
Resovia: Ropret, Boyer (26), Woch (11), Bednorz (15), Kłos (4), Cebulj (12), Zatorski (libero) and Kozub (4), Staszewski.