The champion Bogdanka LUK suffered another home defeat, this time against Lviv, who are second to last in the standings, with a score of 2:3 (22:25, 25:17, 21:25, 25:19, 12:15), and who left with two extremely valuable points after a dramatic tie-break. This is their seventh loss since the start of the championship and third in a row for the Polish Cup holder.
In the absence of the two opposite hitters Sasak and Malinowski, the leadership role had to be taken by Wilfredo Leon, but it was precisely in the tie-break that the home team's star made three crucial errors, which proved fatal.
Match progression
The match started better for the visitors, who withstood the pressure at the end of the first set and took the lead with a 22:25 score.
Bogdanka reacted in the second set, gradually asserting control and equalizing with a 25:17 score, and the first set point came after a block by Alex Grozdanov.
The third set once again went to Lviv. Mid-set, the visitors took the lead, and at 21:22, two consecutive attack errors by the home team led to a decisive run – 21:25 and a 1:2 lead in sets.
The fourth set will be remembered for Komenda's phenomenal foot defense, after which Bogdanka took a 6:4 lead. An ace by Finian McCarthy made the score 12:7, and the home team did not relinquish the initiative – 25:19 and a tie-break.
The tie-break – a nightmare for the champions
The final set started catastrophically for Bogdanka. Lukasz Kampa's serves disrupted their reception, and Lviv's block stopped Grozdanov twice.
Leon made his first error for 1:4, followed by another attack error from him for 4:6, and an out-of-bounds serve by the Cuban with a Polish passport made the situation even tougher.
Despite a comeback to 8:7 after an ace by Walcznik, the visitors again took the lead – 9:11.
At 12:13, a challenge ruled a lift by Walcznik, and Lviv received three match points. Leon saved one point, but Tupchii made no mistake and closed the match – 12:15.
Individual statistics
Bogdanka
Leon – 17 pts.
McCarthy – 14 pts. (6 blocks!)
Enno – 13 pts.
Walcznik – 12 pts.
Alex Grozdanov – 10 pts., +6, 3 blocks, 57% attack (41% efficiency)
Lviv
Tupchiy – 17 pts.
Lorenzo Pope – 16 pts. (MVP)
Gueye – 13 pts. (4 blocks)
Kovalyov – 11 pts.
Statistics
| Stat | Bogdanka | Lviv |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 16 | 9 |
| Aces | 5 | 2 |
| Attack (%) | 47% | 45% |
Bogdanka dominated decisively in blocks and serve, as well as minimally in attack, but still lost. This clearly shows that the champions paid the price for errors in key moments, especially in the tie-break, when Lviv was more composed and more stable in the decisive rallies.
With this loss, Bogdanka missed out on two important points and temporarily remains with 37 points and third position, before the match between Warta Zawiercie and Asseco Resovia, who are fourth with 34 points. Lviv achieved one of its most valuable successes of the season in its effort to escape the relegation zone.
