Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie delivers otherworldly comeback to seal maiden finals spot in the #CLVolleyM

Despite conceding the first two sets, Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie secured their maiden spot in the final of the CEV Champions League Men, with a 22:20 win in the last set against their Polish rivals, Jastrzębski Węgiel, after a fantastic 3:2 win.

The battle was expected to be tough, but a strong Jastrzębski Węgiel surge in the first moments of the first set, a 4:0 run fueled by three points from Tomasz Fornal, including an ace, turned the match on its head, with Jastrzębski taking a 6:3 lead.

While the set was far from over and only three of the last 10 matches between the two sides ended in straight sets, therefore a well-balanced match was expected, Jastrzębski continued to dominate, aided by a fantastic match from Fornal.

The Polish superstar, who announced that he will end his six-year stint at Jastrzębski after this Final Four, scored 10 points and was impossible to stop, while Łukasz Kaczmarek added two blocks for the runners-up in the past two seasons.

Therefore, Zawiercie could not do much to weather the storm, as they had a 38% attacking efficiency, as opposed to a 50% efficiency for Jastrzębski, which took the first set in commanding fashion, 25:19.

The trend continued in the second set, where Jastrzębski Węgiel once again looked dominant and taking advantage of the plethora of errors made by Zawiercie in all departments, including serving and attacking.

In fact, Zawiercie even managed a lower threshold in the attacking efficiency, 33%, over the second set, and there was no player who took the mantle of leader, delivering a good performance, with Zawiercie failing even simple connections between their setter and spikers.

By that logic, Jastrzębski had no issue to take an early lead, 8:4, which was carefully managed throughout the whole set. Midway in the second set, the runners-up from the previous two seasons had a 16:11 lead, which Fornal and middle blocker Anton Brehme improved in the end, 25:18.

With 14 errors made by Zawiercie in the first two sets, it was becoming increasingly clear that the Polish side – the only unbeaten one so far in the CEV Champions League Men – would need a big improvement in the third set, where no mishaps were allowed.

Win the set or be eliminated from contention – that was the simple equation, one which Zawiercie fully understood. Boosting their attacking efficiency to 44% was just the first step, but what really made the difference was Bartosz Kwolek’s emergence.

After scoring only two points in the first two sets combined, Kwolek erupted with an eight-point performance and delivered a pitch perfect performance, helping Zawiercie build an early 5:1 lead.

Jastrzębski did try to mount a comeback, but with a 35% attacking efficiency and Fornal slowing a bit down and not having enough help around him, there was no chance that Zawiercie were going to concede that lead, eventually taking the third set, 25:20.

But the scenario was not changed, as Zawiercie also needed the fourth set to push the match into the decider. And that battle was fierce, as Jastrzębski improved from the previous set.

The lead changed hands several times, until Jastrzębski took a 12:10 lead, with Fornal once again superb form, scoring five of his team’s first 14 points in the fourth set, with Jastrzębski leading, 14:12.

Done and dusted? Not a chance, because on Milosz Zniszczol’s serve, Zawiercie had an unexpected resurgence, putting a 4:0 unanswered run to good use, ensuring that they take a 16:14 lead, as Jastrzębski had no answer.

And with Kwolek leading Zawiercie’s comeback, the Polish side ensured that the Polish derby – and with it, the place in the final – was going to be decided in five sets, taking the fourth one, 25:19, as Jastrzębski collapsed once again in attack, with a 33% efficiency and with a single block throughout the set, after registering three in each of the previous three.

And then came the fifth set. Without Norbert Huber, who received a ball in the face and was substituted out, Jastrzębski were forced to play from behind in the start, but never allowed a two-point advantage for their opponents, with every point won by Zawiercie being followed by one from Jastrzębski.

Four leads were changed in the closing stages of the decider, as Zawiercie led 8:7, Jastrzębski took a 9:8 lead, Zawiercie came back, 12:11, only for two consecutive points, including a kill block, saw Jastrzębski take the lead again, 13:12.

Would that be enough? Two match points later, Jastrzębski missed the chance to win and it was Zawiercie’s turn, after a magnificent Kwolek spike. Jastrzębski saved five match points, but in the end, the pressure was too high, they missed a reception and Aluron secured a 22:20 win and the place in the final.

This will be the first time when the Polish side plays in the final, here they will face Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia, in a bid to win the competition for the first time, just like the Italian side.