Alex Grozdanov and his Bogdanka Lublin qualified for the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup tournament. This happened after the Polish team also won the return match against the French Tourcoing.The Bulgarian international finished with 6 points (2 blocks). The match will be remembered for the remarkable series of eleven consecutive rallies, executed by Wilfredo Leon.
This unprecedented moment occurred in the third set of the match when the sets were 1:1.
In this set, for the third consecutive time, Dorian Rougeyron's proteges started with a two-point lead (4:2), after which Kukartsev increased the hosts' lead (7:4). At one point, LUK became helpless due to Amir Tizi-Oualou's attacks and fell behind by six points (13:7). The team from Poland started to get back into the game thanks to a series of great performances by Wilfredo Leon.The captain of the Polish national team served twelve times, recording 4 aces in the meantime.
This time the hosts were completely helpless, attacking out again and again, hoping for a block. Tourcoing led 15:9, only to lose their lead 15:21! After winning the necessary set 25:21, Bogdanka sealed their visa for the quarterfinals, where they await the winner of the pair CV MELILLA Spain and Swiss VOLLEY NAFELS.
The first referee of the match was the Bulgarian Ilia Penkov.
Tourcoing Lille Metropole – Bogdanka LUK Lublin 1:3 (16:25, 25:22, 21:25, 19:25)
Tourcoing Lille Metropole: Tizi-Oualou (2), Luengas (8), Roehrig (10), Kukartsev (12), Franchi (6), Parkinson (4), Loubeyre (libero) and Louchard Arrou (1), Lavigne (5), Dosso (3), Hutcheson
Bogdanka LUK Lublin: Komenda (1),Leon (21),Grozdanov (6), Tuinstra (7), McCarthy (6), Sasak (15), Hoss (libero) and Cirek (libero), Sawicki (6), Nowakowski (4), Slotarski
