The Polish grand Aseco Resovia Rzeszów started the elimination phase of the Volleyball Champions League in an excellent way. In the first match of the playoffs for a place in the quarterfinals, Massimo Botti's team decisively defeated Belgian Knack Roeselare 3:0 (25:16, 25:19, 25:18) and secured a significant advantage before the return leg.
The match in 'Podpromie' hall began with a minute of silence in memory of the former president of the European Volleyball Confederation, Aleksandar Boričić.
Right at the start, the Polish team exerted serious pressure from their serve. After an ace by Dmytro Danylenko, the hosts took a 5:2 lead and gradually increased their advantage.
The Belgians had problems in attack, and the most effective player from the group stage, Mathijs Desmet, failed to find his rhythm. Resovia played stably in offense and made almost no mistakes.
The set ended convincingly – 25:16, again after a serving point by Danylenko.
In the second set, the hosts continued to control the match. A key figure in offense was Artur Szalpuk, who scored eight points in this part alone.
Resovia maintained a comfortable lead for most of the set and closed it at 25:19, reaffirming their superiority.
The third set started better for the guests, who took a 5:2 lead. However, the Polish team quickly equalized after strong blocking play.
Desmet experienced particularly serious difficulties, as he was often stopped by Resovia's 'wall' (block).
After the middle of the set, the hosts took the initiative and maintained a two-to-three-point lead.
Ultimately, the Polish team closed the match with 25:18, making the final score 3:0.
Artur Szalpuk became the most valuable player of the match, finishing with 16 points and being the main driving force in Resovia's offense.
The victory gives a significant advantage to the Polish team.
The return leg is on March 12 in Belgium, with Resovia needing only two sets to qualify for the quarterfinals.
There, Ziraat Bank Ankara is already awaiting the winner, with Polish national player Tomasz Fornal in their squad.
photos: cev.eu
