On Saturday, May 10th (local time), the 4th match of the Polish Przyliga Playoffs final between Lublin (RS 4th place) and Zawiercie (RS 3rd place) was held, with Lublin winning 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-18). As a result, Lublin's record improved to 3 wins and 1 loss, and they won their first Przyliga title.
Match Report
Starting lineup (from P1)
Lublin: OH Savicki, MB McCarthy, S Komenda, OH Leon, MB Grozdanov, OP Sasak, L Thales.
Zabierce: OH Kuforek, MB Bieniek, OP Grozelle, OH Russell, MB Zniszczow, S Tavares, L Gregorovic.
Set 1: Lublin's late surge and successful challenge
The early stages were close, but OP Grozelle's attack off OH Kuforek's serve gave Zabierce a break and put them in front at 8-12. Zabierce continued to lead 14-17 with spikes from OH Russell. However, a block from OH Sawicki and a service ace put Lublin at 18-18. Then, OP Sasak's spike off OH Leon's serve gave Lublin the lead at 23-22, and they challenged again to get a set point at 24-22. Finally, OH Leon's service ace gave Lublin the set at 25-22.
Second set: Lublin serves and spikes on top form
From the beginning, MB McCarthy hit three consecutive aces to give Lublin a 6-1 lead. After that, OH Leon scored spikes from OH Sawicki's serves and MB McCarthy's powerful serves to give Lublin a 17-7 lead. Zabierce tried to turn the situation around by substituting players, but it was too late. OH Leon's spike gave them a set point at 24-14, and finally OP Grozelle's serve was missed, giving Lublin a comfortable 25-15 win.
Third set: Lublin continues to dominate
At the start, Zabierce took the lead 2-4 with a spike from OP Grozel. However, Lublin turned the game around with four consecutive breaks from an ace from OP Sasak's serve and a spike from OH Sawicki to take the lead 9-6. Lublin then widened the lead to 19-12 with a spike from OP Sasak and a service ace from OH Leon. Then, a pipe attack from OH Sawicki put Lublin on match point at 24-17, and finally, a serve from OH Waba caused an error, giving Lublin the win at 25-18 and a 3-1 victory.
Key Points of the Match
① The first challenge that decided our fate
In the first set, at 23-22 in the final minutes, Xabierce's quick shot made the score 23-23, but Lublin's challenge found S. Tavares touching the net, making the score 24-22, and Lublin took it with an ace from OH Leon. If there hadn't been a challenge here, OH Leon's serve would not have come to him, and Xabierce would have still had a chance. Xabierce still had the momentum from his victory in the third game in the first set, so if he had been able to take the set here, the content of the game afterwards could have been very different. However, Lublin was amazing for not missing the slight touch of the net in that situation. It can be said that being good at challenging is now an essential skill at the top level.
②Lublin's serve and block
Lublin's serves were amazing. The team had a total of nine aces, led by MB McCarthy and OP Sasak, who each had three aces. Even if they couldn't score points directly with their serves, the blocks were waiting for them, and they scored a total of eight block points, led by OH Sawicki and MB Grozdanov, who each had three aces. From Zabierce's perspective, Lublin's serve and block was such that whenever they tried to serve well, a high block was waiting for them, and they were unable to counter it.
③Lublin: High attack success rate even with high balls
Zabierce was also a team with good serves, and Lublin's serve reception success rate of 351 TP 3T was not particularly high. However, they did not allow Zabierce to get a single service ace, and even when their serve reception was disrupted and they went for high balls, the success rate of the three side attackers (OH Leon, OH Sawicki, OP Sasak) was very high, especially from the end of the first set, and the effectiveness rate of the team attack was very high, 73% in the second set and 651 TP 3T in the third set. Zabierce was not able to put pressure on them, and they were in a situation where they could do whatever they wanted.
Notable players' performances
S. Marcin Komenda (Lublin, MVP)
2 points (1 attack, 1 block), team attack effectiveness rate 50%
Captain and commander who led the team to its first victory. Although the team's serve reception success rate was not particularly high, he provided careful sets to the sides and maintained a high attack success rate even with high balls. He also provided balanced sets to the three players on the sides, OH Leon, OH Savicki, and OP Sasak, throughout the game, preventing the opponents from narrowing down on their target. He is also expected to play an active role as the main setter for this year's national team.
OP Kevin Sasak (Lublin)
14 points (11 attack, 3 serve), attack efficiency rate 68%
Sasak was the most successful player of both teams with 14 points and an attack efficiency rate of 681 TP3T. When it looked like the momentum was shifting to Zabierce in the early stages of the third set, he cut off the momentum with his own serve. In the third match, which was lost to Zabierce, he was forced to be substituted in the middle of the first set due to insufficient attacks, but in this match he made a great correction and contributed greatly to the victory. While OH Leon tends to get the attention, this player's growth, along with OH Sawicki, was a key piece in Lublin's success in the playoffs.
OP Georgi Grozel (Zabierce)
13 points (12 attacks, 1 block), attack efficiency rate 261 TP 3T
A veteran German player (40 years old) who was suddenly added to the bench in the second game of the final as a replacement for the injured OP Butrin. In the second game, he still struggled to combine with S. Tavares, but in the third game, he showed his true ability and contributed greatly to the team's victory. However, in this game, he struggled with Lublin's blocks in attack and was not as effective as he would have liked in serving. However, there is no doubt that he showed the way as a hope for the team, who were in a hopeless situation due to a series of injuries.
Toshiki's comment
When Zabierce's OP Butrin withdrew, everyone was saying that Lublin would win the championship with three consecutive wins, but contrary to that prediction, Zabierce won the third game, so before the match it was unclear who would win.
And the fourth game was held in Lublin. Tickets were sold out to see the local team win at home. Apparently, tickets for the second game last time were sold out in 26 seconds, but this time they were sold out in 14 seconds. Naturally, the heat in the venue was much higher than ever before.
Until the middle of the first set, Xavier Che was in the lead, and Lublin made many uncharacteristic mistakes, such as OH Leon's serve flying directly into the stands. When OP Grozelle served, the Lublin fans booed him terribly (lol).
However, as mentioned above, after the end of the first set, Lublin was in full control, and the second and third sets ended in a flash. The entire venue was filled with joy. The players and staff all celebrated together, calling out to the cheering squad (and even cutting out the part of the net that said "LUBLIN" (lol)). After the awards ceremony, all the players went up to the stands and walked around the stands to interact with the fans.
On the other hand, the members of the defeated Xabierce team, although they came in second place, had the looks of losers on their faces and quickly left the venue after the award ceremony.
Probably no one expected Lublin to win the championship at the start of the season. It's true that they had a decent result of 5th place last season, and they had acquired a superstar named Leon, so there may have been some expectations. Even so, they could only make it to the quarterfinals at best, and the club itself had set the quarterfinals as a realistic goal.
But the team went above and beyond. Leon's presence must have been a big factor in that. After losing in the Polish Cup semi-finals, he commented, "We've reached the club's goal, but personally I want to win the title, and I've told the team that we can do it." He showed his dream to the team, and it really became a reality.
But there is no doubt that Leon is just that kind of player. Of course, his play is amazing, but every time I see his behavior or talk to him, I can't help but feel his great personality.
It seems likely that most of the main players, including Leon, will remain with the team next season, so keep an eye on them in the next league and Champions League matches.
Related links
Match stats
https://www.plusliga.pl/games/action/show/id/1104130.html#stats
Photo: TOSHIKI, plusliga.pl
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