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.
After the third place ceremony, I spoke to Warsaw manager Piotr Graban.
T: Congratulations on third place. Did you expect the match to be so close today?
Grabban: We were hoping to settle the third match, but we knew it would be tough. Jastrzebski is a top-level club with high-level players, and we knew they would play really good volleyball because it was their home game. So we had to play at that level. There were a lot of ups and downs in the match, especially in the fifth set. We'd take a three- or four-point lead, then they'd catch up, then we'd take the lead again. But Rinus (Weber) made a great play and turned the tide. It was a great match with a lot of emotions.
It's very emotional because we've come through such a tough season. We had a lot of ups and downs during the season, with all sorts of problems, misunderstandings, and miscommunications in media interviews. We lost in the golden set for the Champions League Final Four, but we bounced back. We also didn't play good volleyball in the Polish Cup. But we bounced back again. In the semi-final against Zabiercie, we were one point away from qualifying for the final, but we missed it. It was really tough at the time, but we still believed in ourselves and kept our motivation. So this bronze medal is like a gold medal for us.
T: What kind of players were Vrona and Kovalczyk, who will be retiring at the end of this season, to the team?
Grabban: It's hard to put into words. What these two have done for this club and for Warsaw is truly amazing and great. They have been contributing to the team for years, always focusing in training, and always trying to play well in games. Andrzej (Vrona) in particular, as captain, he has been the one who has brought the team together and led the whole team through difficult times. I think they have done a really great job. So I want to say a big thank you to them, and I can't put into words what they have brought to the club.
Photo: TOSHIKI, PGE Project Warszawa
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