In their last match of the Champions League group stage (Group E), PGE Projekt Warszawa visited Cucine Lube Civitanova in a clash that largely decided second place in the group, which grants a playoff spot. The two teams played a dramatic match with constant turnarounds, and the Italian team snatched victory after a tie-break 3:2 (25:23, 24:26, 25:19, 22:25, 15:12). The match was officiated by Ivaylo Ivanov.
Projekt Warszawa started better, but Lube turned the first set around with strong block-defense play and closed it out at the end. In the second set, the Poles responded with almost flawless volleyball and equalized after a dramatic finish. The third set was under the control of the hosts, led by Alex Nikolov and stable counterattacks. However, Warszawa showed character and, with an evenly matched fourth set, forced the match into a tie-break. In the decisive set, Lube took more risks, Nikolov and Bottolo led the team, and the Italians held on to their lead until 15:12.
The top scorer in the match wasAlex Nikolov, who finished with26 points,1 ace,44% positive reception and57% attack efficiency. He was deservedly named MVP of the match. This is the second time this has happened to him against this opponent, as in the first match against the Polish team on January 21, Nikolov again claimed the award for the most valuable player.
For the winners:
Pablo Kukartsev – 14 points
Mattia Bottolo – 19 points
For Warszawa, the strongest performers were:
Bednorz – 20 points
Tillie – 16 points
Weber – 12 points
Semeniuk - 10 points
Despite the defeat, the Varsovians took a valuable point and secured their place in the playoffs.
Team statistics from the match
| Metric | Lube | Warsaw |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 15 | 6 |
| Attack efficiency | 50% | 48% |
| Points from attack | 61 | 59 |
| Positive reception | 53% | 65% |
| Aces | 3 | 4 |
| Service errors | 25 | 21 |
| Total points scored | 105 | 105 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 32 | 36 |
| Match duration | 139 minutes | |
The numbers show why Lube won this match – the Italians made a huge difference at the net with15 blocks against just 6for Warsaw. Although the Poles excelled in reception (65% positive), they failed to compensate for their weakness in blocking. An interesting detail is that the total number of points scored is equal (105:105), which highlights how dramatic and evenly matched the duel was, decided in the key moments of the tie-break.
Standings in Group E after the match
| No. | Team | M | W | L | Pts | Sets | Set Ratio | Points | Point Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | 6 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 17:5 | 3,4000 | 525:420 | 1,2500 |
| 2 | PGE Projekt Warszawa | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13:11 | 1,1818 | 539:515 | 1,0466 |
| 3 | Montpellier HSC VB | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 9:10 | 0,9000 | 412:434 | 0,9493 |
| 4 | Volley Haasrode Leuven | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2:15 | 0,1333 | 303:410 | 0,7390 |
Lube finishes the group stage as a convincing leader with dominance in both sets (17:5), as well as in points (525:420Warsaw remains second with positive coefficients, which proves stability, but also more fluctuations in decisive moments.
Project Warsaw took a significant step towards the playoffs, with the point from the tie-break placing them in a very favorable position before the last match in the group. Montpellier still has one final match against Leuven, which will determine the final standings in Group E.
