Bogdanka LUK Lublin recorded an extremely valuable victory in the 18th round of the Polish PlusLiga. After the heavy home defeat against the newcomer in the championship, the champions of Poland showed character and responded in the best possible way – a clear away victory against PGE GiEK Skra Bełchatów with0:3 (20:25, 19:25, 16:25)The hosts continue to seek a way out of the crisis, and even the appearance of Alan Souza on the court could not change the course of events.
The champion lulled the opponent
The guests introduced the ball into play, but the beginning belonged to the "yellow and blacks". With the help of Arkadiusz Żakiet, Skra quickly took a 5:0 lead. The streak was broken by Wilfredo León, and a little later, the serve started to tip the scales. While Bartosz Lemański erred from the serve, Finian McCarthy recorded an ace for 11:9. Hiliir Eno, in turn, brought the first tie with a precise serve.
A balanced exchange of points followed, with an emphasis on block work. At 19:17 for Lublin, the champions took control, and the end of the set was entirely dictated by León. Set point came after another block by McCarthy, and the final point was scored by the Polish national player.
Wilfredo León – a spectacle without pause
Long rallies made the second set even more attractive, although errors were not lacking. After an inaccurate attack by Alex Grozdanov, Skra took a 3:1 lead and controlled the score for some time. The guests' attempts to turn the tide through serving had no effect, and rather led to errors. A beautiful fake by Antoine Potrona made the score 13:11 for the hosts.
Just then, León once again took matters into his own hands – he equalized with a serve, and then Lublin took a 16:13 lead. Bełchatów's reception could not cope with the bombardments from the guests' star, who finished the set with 78% attack efficiency. Alan Souza's return after a long injury treatment changed nothing – at his first successful attack, the score was already 17:22. This set also ended in favor of the champions. It is worth noting that León served at a speed of 131 km/h.
No compromises in the third set
LUK Lublin continued relentlessly in the third part. León and Grozdanov set up a stable block for a 5:1 lead. An ace by Grzegorz Łomacz gave the hosts hope, but they were once again in a chasing role. Jakub Wachnik contributed strongly for the guests, and the serve continued to trouble Skra's reception.
Lublin's lead again grew to five points. Lemański responded with a block and an ace, but these turned out to be isolated flashes. The champions completely took control of the initiative and led 21:12. Despite several saved balls in defense during the match points, the outcome was already clear.
MVP:Wilfredo León had 23 points in the match.
The statistical contribution ofAlex Grozdanovalso deserves to be highlighted. Bogdanka LUK Lublin's middle blocker finished the match with5 points, achieving+3 efficiency, recorded 1 ace from serve and added 2 successful blocks. Although not among the top scorers, Grozdanov played a key role in stabilizing the net, especially in the third set, when the visitors' block finally broke Skra Bełchatów's resistance.
Bogdanka LUK Lublin demonstrated the class of a reigning champion and sent a clear signal to the competition, while PGE GiEK Skra Bełchatów continues to seek stability and a way out of a difficult period.
