The third match of the Polish Przyga Playoffs third place deciding match between Warsaw and Jastrziebuski Wenger was held on Wednesday, May 7th local time, and Warsaw won a fierce battle 3-2 (21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23, 15-12) to secure third place in the league.
As I wrote in the article on the second leg, for Jastrzebski, who had lost two straight games in the third place match and was preparing for the European Champions League Final Four, if he won the match, it would mean less time to prepare for the Champions League. In other words, it was thought that it would be somewhat difficult in terms of motivation, so it seemed that Warsaw would win the third leg relatively easily.
During the warm-up, the players were mostly relaxed and some were seen chatting harmoniously with other team players. Despite the fact that this was an important match for the European Champions League qualification for next season, the atmosphere did not feel very tense.
Nevertheless, just under 2,500 people, mostly local Jastrzebski fans, packed the stadium to see the team in what may be their final home game of the season. And as if to answer the fans' expectations, the game unfolded in a heated manner, contrary to most expectations.
Match Report
First set: Jastrzciebski's wide three show their attacking prowess
In the early stages, Jastrziebuski took a 5-9 lead with OH Karl's spikes and service aces, and then Jastrziebuski continued to score points with high success rates from OH Fornal and OP Kaczmarek's sidelines. Warsaw attacked with OH Brand as the center, but they were unable to get the break they wanted, and in the end, Jastrziebuski took the lead with a 21-25 serve error from OH Brand.
Set 2: OP Webel scores 8 points with a spike, serve and block
The match was close until the middle of the match, with Warsaw's OP Weber scoring with a high success rate, while Jastrziebuski scored with OH Fornal and MB Huber, leading to a score of 16-16. However, in the final stages, Warsaw pulled away with service aces from OP Weber and MB Kochanowski, taking the set 25-19.
Third set: Warsaw takes control with six blocks
Warsaw, with breaks from blocks by OH Brandt and others, led 7-3 from the beginning, but Jastrzebski scored points from OH Fornal's spikes and other points to close the gap to 16-15 (at one point, OH Fornal's pipe attack hit OH Szalbuk in the groin and OH Szalbuk fell). The score was tied at 21-21 at the end, but Warsaw scored points from a block by substitute MB Semeniuk and a spike from OP Weber to take the set 25-22.
4th set: S. Toniutti's quick fest, 13 points from the middle alone
Jastrziebuski scored consecutive points with MB Brehme's spikes and took a 0-4 lead. From there, Warsaw scored mainly with OH Brand, while Jastrziebuski's S Toniutti actively used MB Brehme and MB Huber in the middle to score side-outs. After that, MB Kochanowski's blocks and spikes brought Warsaw to within one point at 11-12. However, Jastrziebuski continued to attack with quick shots, and finished with a quick shot from MB Huber to win the set 23-25 and bring it to a full set.
5th set: OP Webel wins the match after a series of exchanges of points
Starting with an ace from OH Szabuk and a spike from MB Kochanowski, Warsaw took a big lead at 6-1 from the start. However, Jastrzebski scored consecutive points from relief server S Finouri's serve with an ace and a block from MB Huber, turning the game around to 8-9.
However, in the final stages, Warsaw created chances from OP Weber's powerful serve, scoring with spikes from OH Szalbuk, and then a service ace from OP Weber made it 14-11, putting them in a position to turn the game around again and putting them in a match point. Finally, OH Szalbuk scored a spike to take the set 15-12, and Warsaw won the match 3-2. As a result, Warsaw won all three matches in the third place match, taking third place.
MVP: OH Tobias Brandt
22 points (18 attacks, 2 serves, 2 blocks), attack efficiency rate 38%
In this match, he played a major role, supporting his team in all aspects including attack, serve, block and defense, and scoring 22 points, which was the most for the team. He also showed his presence as a partner of the German duo OP Weber, who also scored 22 points.
Key Points of the Match
① Warsaw's serve and block worked well
Warsaw's serve was strong from the first set, but they allowed strong side attackers such as Jastrziebuski's OH Fornal to score points. However, in the second and third sets, their serve and block worked well and they succeeded in increasing their break rate. As a result, Warsaw scored 8 serve aces and 10 block points in this match. There was a lot of pressure from Jastrziebuski's serve, but Warsaw's three side attackers, including OP Weber, had a high success rate and were able to score with high balls.
2. Jastrzciewski changed his style of play to take the match to a full set
Jastrzcienbski won the first set thanks to the efforts of their side attackers, but their success rate dropped after that. So in the fourth set, S. Toniutti, even though his serve reception was a little off, focused the ball on MB Brehme and MB Huber, who responded by scoring one after another. As a result, they earned 11 points in this set from their attacks alone, more than half of Warsaw's points excluding mistakes. In addition to this, Warsaw struggled with side outs due to the poor decision-making ability of the two side players other than OH Brand.
3. OP Weber decides the match
The fateful fifth set was a rollercoaster ride, with Warsaw leading 6-1 before Jastrziebuski turned the game around to 8-9, but it was OP Webel who ultimately decided the match. At 9-11, Jastrziebuski broke Warsaw with a serve, but OP Webel hit a high ball. Then, two of his serves were returned directly to the opponent, and one was an ace, leading his team to match point at 14-11. Personally, I think he was the MVP.
Toshiki's comment
To be honest, I thought Jastrziebuski wouldn't be very motivated and Warsaw would win easily, but that wasn't the case at all.
Of course Warsaw was serious, but Jastrziebuski was serious too. He yelled when they scored a goal, and scolded the referee when he made a questionable decision (laughs). However, it must have been difficult to stay motivated. Especially for the players who will be leaving the team at the end of this season, they will want to give their all in this season's Champions League rather than qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Still, there was little hesitation in his play that day, and I think he was trying to play the best game he could for the local fans who came to the home game. In particular, the middle festival in the fourth set was really amazing and fun to watch. The comeback in the middle of the fifth set was also impressive.
However, I think Warsaw's desire to finish third became apparent at the end of the final fifth set. Jastrzebski lost in the semi-finals of the league, but won the cup and is also preparing for the final four of the Champions League. Meanwhile, Warsaw lost in the semi-finals of the league, the cup, and the quarter-finals of the Champions League, failing to achieve their initial goal.
In addition, Warsaw's captain MB Vrona, who had been with the club for eight seasons, and MB Kowalczyk, who had been with the club for nine seasons, announced their retirement at the end of this season, so they wanted to win the bronze medal in the league at all costs for these two club veterans. And that wish came true.
At the awards ceremony after the match, the two stood in front of the podium together, holding up the third-place trophy in joy. Their eyes looked a little teary as they smiled in victory.
In that sense, next season will be a major turning point for Warsaw, and I hope that it is this season that they can achieve what they were unable to achieve this season: reaching the cup and league finals and making it to the final four of the Champions League.
As for Jastrzcienbski, as he now has plenty of time until the Champions League, I hope he will prepare himself so that he can play his best volleyball in the actual competition.
Related links
Match stats
https://www.plusliga.pl/games/action/show/id/1104131.html#stats
Photo: TOSHIKI, plusliga.pl
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