PGE Projekt WARSZAWA prevail in all-Polish quarterfinal to reach historic #CLVolleyM Final Four
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PGE Projekt WARSZAWA prevailed in an all-Polish quarterfinal to book their place in the #CLVolleyM Final Four for the first time in club history. After narrowly missing out on Europe’s top four last season in a Golden Set, the team led by coach Kamil Nalepka made no mistake this time against Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN. Following a 3-1 win in the first leg, WARSZAWA sealed their ticket to Torino in confident fashion, claiming the opening two sets of the return match and becoming the sixth Polish club in history to reach the Champions League semifinals. With qualification already secured, both coaches rotated their line-ups, and the match itself was eventually won by Bogdanka LUK Lublin in a tie-break.
Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN (POL) vs PGE Projekt WARSZAWA (POL) 3-2 (21-25, 18-25, 25-22, 32-30, 15-12)
Holding a solid advantage from the first leg, PGE Projekt Warszawa arrived at Hala Globus Tomasz Wójtowicz in Lublin needing "just" two sets to secure a place in the #CLVolleyM Final Four. The hosts, however, were determined to tell a different story. An ace from Hilir Henno opened the match, and strong attacks from Wilfredo León (6 points in the set) gave Lublin an early 5-2 lead. Coach Kamil Nalepka quickly called a timeout, and from that moment Warszawa raised their level, first levelling at 7–7 and then moving ahead 14-12 thanks to solid plays from Bartosz Bednorz (5 points) and Bartosz Gomułka (4). Supported with strong blocks from Jakub Kochanowski (3 block stuffs) and Damian Wojtaszek's great efforts in defence, the visitors built on that momentum, extending their lead, and an ace from Kevin Tillie (5 points) pushed the score to 21-15. Although Lublin fought back and saved two set points, it was Tillie who eventually sealed the set with a spike for 25-21.
The second set started as a tight contest. An ace from Bartosz Bednorz gave Warszawa a 4-2 lead, but Lublin quickly levelled the score with strong blocking. The turning point came when, after a spike from Kevin Tillie, the visitors moved ahead 13–10. Coach Stephane Antiga called a timeout, but Warszawa extended their advantage to 14-10 with a block from Jakub Kochanowski on Mateusz Malinowski. Malinowski and Henno (3 points each) led Lublin's efforts, and an ace from Mikołaj Sawicki briefly kept the hosts' hopes alive at 15-13. Kamil Nalepka responded with a timeout, which immediately paid off as Warszawa surged to a 19–14 lead after Jan Firlej’s block on Henno. Led by Bednorz (6 points, 63% success), the visitors dominated the court, putting Lublin under heavy pressure with their serve, while the hosts struggled to find consistency. A missed serve from Malinowski eventually sealed the set 25-18 in Warszawa's favour, securing their long-awaited place in the Final Four.
With qualification for the Final Four already secured, both teams made significant changes to their line-ups. Despite the absence of key players, the battle remained intense, with a tight point-by-point contest up to 14-12. From that moment, Lublin - powered by Kewin Sasak (5 points) and Jackson Young (4) - pulled away to 18–12. The set was far from over, however. Warszawa responded, led by Linus Weber (4 points) and Brandon Koppers (3), reducing the gap to 21–20. Despite their late push, Lublin held their nerve, and a spike from Sasak eventually sealed the set 25–22.
Returning from injury, Kewin Sasak (4 points) remained a key force for Lublin, helping the hosts to an 8-4 lead with an ace during his service run. Lublin kept control up to 15-12, but a block from Bartosz Firszt (5 points in the set) on Sasak levelled the score at 16–16. Warszawa, with solid contributions from Linus Weber and Brandon Koppers (both 5 points), moved ahead and held a 22–20 lead. However, Bogdanka refused to give up, mounting a strong comeback to level at 23–23. The Canadian trio of Jackson Young (5 points), Fynnian McCarthy (4) and Daenan Kofi Gyimah (3) stood out for Lublin as the set went into extra time. Both teams had chances to close it out, mixing strong plays with missed serves, but in the end the hosts prevailed 32-30, forcing a tie-break.
A tight point-by-point battle continued at the start of the tie-break. A block from Kewin Sasak on Bartosz Firszt gave Lublin the first two-point lead at 9-7, which they extended to 12-8 with strong team play. Warszawa, sparked by Brandon Koppers (5 points), tried to close the gap, but Lublin remained determined to reward their fans and eventually sealed the win after a missed serve from Linus Weber.
The MVP award went to Kewin Sasak, who led Lublin in the last three sets with 14 points, including three blocks, one ace and 10 spikes at 53% success. He was followed by Jackson Young with 13 points and Fynnian McCarthy (12), the only player to feature in all five sets. On Warszawa's side, Brandon Koppers was the top scorer in the final three sets with 13 points, while Bartosz Bednorz (11 points - 2 aces, 1 block and 8 kills at 62%) led the team in the opening two sets.
Kewin Sasak"“We believed we could play an amazing match today and turn the result around, but Warszawa were better over the two matches and deserved to win this quarterfinal and secure their place in the semifinals. They had some problems during the season, but they are an experienced team and, at the most important moment, they showed their quality and were outstanding in both games. It’s not easy for us now, but that’s life, that’s volleyball. We gave everything on the court, but we lost, and now we need to focus on the domestic league playoffs."
MVP and player of Bogdanka LUK Lublin
Jakub Kochanowski"I won my only #CLVolleyM title in 2021 and I would really love to repeat that achievement. We’re very happy to have reached the semifinal, despite losing the match. In both games we had clear tactical goals and we managed to fully execute them, so I think our coach will be proud. We played very solidly. It’s great that after last year’s disappointment, when we really wanted to reach the Final Four, we took our revenge and made it this time. Now we’ll try to cause a surprise in Torino."
player of PGE Projekt Warszawa
Damian Wojtaszek"We had a slight advantage before this game, but we knew we were coming to a difficult venue to face world-class players, from León to Thales. We knew we had to reach our highest level and play a brilliant match. We did that - in the first two sets we controlled the game and secured our ticket. We’re very happy, especially after such a long and bumpy road to achieve it."
captain of PGE Projekt Warszawa