The captain of the Bulgarian national team, Alex Grozdanov, continues to make history in Polish volleyball. The middle blocker played a strong match for Bogdanka LUK Lublin, scoring 12 points, 5 blocks, and achieving 70% attack efficiency, and his team defeated Jastrzębski Węgiel 3:1 (28:26, 25:27, 25:16, 27:25) and won the Polish Super Cup for the first time in club history.

This is Grozdanov's second cup in Poland, after the PlusLiga title, and a third trophy with the club, after Lublin triumphed in the Challenge Cup in the spring, defeating the Italian giant Lube Civitanova of Alex Nikolov.

Countless emotions in Katowice

On Wednesday evening, emotions ran high in the legendary Spodek Arena in Katowice. The men's Polish Super Cup match offered spectacular volleyball with numerous comebacks and a fight to the last ball. After four hard-fought sets, Bogdanka LUK Lublin deservedly triumphed, while Jastrzębski Węgiel lost the trophy match for the third consecutive time. Previously, Jastrzębie had won this trophy twice, in 2021 and 2022, in both cases defeating ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In the last two editions, however, they lost in a tie-break, first to Kędzierzyn, and a year ago had to acknowledge the superiority of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie.

First Set – Volleyball on the Edge

From the very beginning, it was clear that both teams were determined to fight for every point. Wilfredo León attacked powerfully (8:7), and Nicolas Hoag responded immediately (9:8). The game went point for point until León went on a serving run (13:11), and Kevin Sasak added an ace (15:14).
Benjamin Toniutti brought back the intrigue and Jastrzębski Węgiel closed the gap (17:18), after which Michał Gierżot equalized at 23:23. Lublin first reached set point, but after an error by Heno, the initiative went to the opponent. Nevertheless, Marcin Komenda with an excellent serve closed the set for Lublin – 28:26.

Second Set – Response from Jastrzębski

The loss did not break the champions from Jastrzębie. After an ace by Anton Bremmer (3:1) and an excellent middle attack by Łukasz Usowicz (11:7), they took the initiative. Lublin, however, did not give up – Jakub Wachnik came in as a substitute and brought freshness (12:12). Hoag continued to score, but his teammates didn't support him enough (19:19). At 23:23, another error by León decided everything – 27:25 for Jastrzębski Węgiel.

Third Set – Lublin's Dominance

After an even start, Stefan Antiga's volleyball players took control. They were more effective in attack, stable at the net, and had a strong serve (13:8). Lublin had no weak link, and at 20:13, it was already clear they would take the lead in the match. After a successful attack by Heno, the score became 2:1 after 25:16.

Fourth Set – Tension Until the Last Ball

The decisive part started evenly again (7:7). Lublin pulled ahead by two points (12:10), but Hoag and Miran Kujundžić responded (15:13). At 19:16 for Jastrzębski, a service run by León turned the score around (20:19). This was followed by an exchange of attacks and saved balls in defense, and an ace by Marcin Komenda brought the historic victory for Bogdanka LUK Lublin – 27:25 and 3:1.

MVP: Wilfredo León

Final Score

Team Line-ups:

Thus, "Bogdanka LUK Lublin" writes a new page in its history, and the captain of the national team, Alex Grozdanov, adds another trophy to his already impressive collection - a second cup in Poland and a third with the club during his stay in the country.

photos:plusliga.pl