The volleyball "weekend" in PlusLiga kicked off on Saturday afternoon with the match between BOGDANKA LUK Lublin and Barkom Każany Lwów (the Ukrainians were CSKA's opponent in Europe, with the Reds eliminating them - ed.). Fourth in the current standings with 35 points and a balance of 12 wins and 5 losses, Lublin were the clear favorites in this match. However, despite being second-to-last in 15th place with 11 points and a 4-13 balance, their Ukrainian guests from the only foreign club in the league are known for having pulled off surprises against several favorites this season. Barkom even led in direct encounters with BOGDANKA with 3-2 wins, which are now tied after Leon and company won 3:1 (26:24, 22:25, 26:16, 25:15).
The match did not start well for the hosts, who had to work hard to snatch the set at its very end. Leon finished with 7 points. In the second set, the hosts gave the initiative to the Ukrainian team, who ended the set with two consecutive aces.
It was the service points that proved most decisive for Bogdanka, who closed the third set by scoring 6 aces. The beginning of the fourth set offered an even game, after which the service points again tipped the scales in favor of the hosts. The eleventh ace came with the score at 14:10 for Bogdanka.At 19:14, Alex Grozdanov was substituted after scoring 9 points (3 blocks).

The hosts denied the visiting team with three consecutive blocks at the end of the match, which was closed with an ace by Leon, who was the best player in the encounter. This was the 13th ace for the hosts in the match against only 4 for the Ukrainians. The Cuban with a Polish passport finished the match with 20 points (3 aces, 2 blocks).
The 18th round of the regular season of the Polish PlusLiga will continue until Monday evening and will feature the last six PlusLiga matches for 2024.