PGE Project Warsaw missed a golden opportunity in Champions League Group E, thereby officially handing first place to Cucine Lube Civitanova. The Polish team won their away match against Volley Haasrode Leuven with a score of 3:2 (25:18, 22:25, 23:25, 25:19, 15:7), but the lost point proved decisive – the Italians are now out of reach at the top and qualify directly for the quarterfinals.
The match in Belgium started as planned for the Warsaw team, who dominated the first set. However, a significant decline followed in the second and third sets, where the hosts showed aggression in attack and stability in defense. In the fourth set, Project regained its rhythm, and in the tie-break, the difference in class was evident.
Bartosz Bednorz was the top scorer in the match with 16 points (9 from attack). For Leuven, Olaya Gomez finished with 14 points, while Peeters and Vitrowen added 11 each.
Standings in Group E after the 5th round
| No. | Team | M | W | L | Pts | Sets | Set ratio | Points | Point ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | 5 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 14:3 | 4.667 | 414:315 | 1.314 |
| 2 | PGE Project Warsaw | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 11:8 | 1.375 | 434:404 | 1.074 |
| 3 | Montpellier | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 9:10 | 0.900 | 412:434 | 0.949 |
| 4 | Volley Haasrode Leuven | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2:15 | 0.133 | 303:410 | 0.739 |
With 13 points, Lube is now mathematically unreachable at the top. Even with a 3:0 or 3:1 victory in the final round, when Warsaw visits the Eurosuole Forum in Civitanova on February 18, they can only reach a maximum of 12 points. Thus, the Italian team secures first place and direct participation in the quarterfinals, while the Polish representative will have to go through an additional elimination phase.
The biggest danger for Project Warsaw is no longer related to first place – that is lost. The real threat is for the team to drop to third position in Group E.
Currently, the Varsovians are second with 9 points, and Montpellier is behind them with 7. In the last round, the Poles visit Lube in Italy – a match of extreme difficulty. At the same time, the French play against Haasrode Leuven, who are winless in the group. In case of a potential Montpellier win and a Project loss, a shift in the standings is a completely realistic scenario.
This would mean that Warsaw finishes third and might even lose the right to play in the playoffs. In this case, the Polish team will have to await the developments in the other groups and hope to be the best third-placed team to advance.
In other words – from a position of a favorite for a direct quarter-final, Project is now in a situation where they might become dependent on other teams' results. This is what makes the lost point in Belgium so strategically painful.
Photo:https://www.plusliga.pl/
