Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie march into the 2026 #CLVolleyM Final Four

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, last season’s Champions League silver medalists, booked their place in the Final Four of the 2026 edition of Europe’s top club tournament. The players around head coach Michał Winiarski claimed another straight set win against Cucine Lube Civitanova in the second leg of the quarter finals this Thursday. After a 3-0 victory in the first match a week earlier, the Polish side needed to win just two sets in the return match against Cucine Lube Civitanova - and they did so convincingly.

The host team stayed composed throughout, securing the required result (two sets) before going on to complete a straight-sets win, celebrating the achievement in front of their home fans.

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie have completed the Final Four lineup, joining Ziraat Bankkart Ankara, PGE Projekt Warszawa and Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia, who had already secured their spots. The tournament will take place at the iconic Inalpi Arena on 16 and 17 May, with semifinals scheduled for 16 May.

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie will face the ambitious Ziraat Bankkart Ankara in one semi final, while PGE Projekt Warszawa take on Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia in the other.

Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE vs Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 26-24)

Cucine Lube Civitanova opened the first set slightly in front (3-1), but Bartosz Kwolek soon turned the momentum with effective blocking, helping Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie edge ahead (6-7).

However, the set remained tightly contested, with both sides trading small leads and making errors along the way (8-8, 15-15,19-19). At a crucial moment, Mateusz Bieniek delivered directly from the service line to put his team in front (21-19). Bartłomiej Bołądź then earned the set point, before Jurij Gladyr sealed the set with an ace.

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie operated at 55% efficiency in attack and recorded 50% positive reception, with Bartłomiej Bołądź contributing five points, although the team committed seven own errors. On the other side, Cucine Lube Civitanova were more efficient offensively at 64%, but struggled more in reception (42%) and registered ten errors. Aleksandar Nikolov stood out as their top scorer with seven points.

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie quickly took control of the second set, building a steady lead from 6-2 to 15-7 and extending it further to 19-12. Lube managed to close the gap slightly thanks to strong serving from Nikolov and Marko Podraščanin, with a block cutting the deficit to three points (17-20). However, Michał Winiarski’s team capitalised on even the toughest plays, maintaining their momentum throughout, and comfortably closed the set at 25-18, leaving the Italians with little room to respond, and securing the Final Four place at this point. 

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie recorded 54% attacking efficiency and 38% positive reception, reflecting a strong and consistent performance. In contrast, Cucine Lube Civitanova struggled to match that level, with their attack dropping to 35% efficiency and reception also at 35%, which limited their ability to build momentum throughout the match.

Both coaches made adjustments to their lineups in the third set, introducing fresh players in an attempt to shift the momentum. Lube held the upper hand for most of the set, maintaining a narrow lead through a series of tight exchanges (9-7, 11-10, 12-10). 

Zawiercie responded well, leveling the score at 11-11 and 13-13, but Lube managed to stay just ahead and extend the lead to 19-17 mostly thanks to good performance on the block. Despite several service errors from the Italians, their aggressive play continued to put pressure on the Polish side. The set remained close at 22-22, before Zawiercie briefly edged in front at 23-22 in a tense finish, eventually sealing the win at 26-24. 

Bartłomiej Bołądź was named MVP after an outstanding performance, finishing with 10 points and 63% attacking efficiency, including one block and one ace.

For Cucine Lube Civitanova, Mattia Bottolo also recorded 10 points, delivering an impressive 69% attacking efficiency along with one block.