Polish outside hitter Mikołaj Sawicki has officially returned to competitive rhythm and is now part of Bogdanka LUK Lublin's squad for the PlusLiga season matches. He will thus join his teammates, including Bulgarian international Alex Grozdanov, for the upcoming big clash against Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie. All Polish volleyball media reported this today.

The 26-year-old volleyball player missed several months after being accused of using a banned doping substance last year. Subsequently, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) overturned his suspension after laboratory errors were found during the sample analysis. This allowed Sawicki to return to training with the Polish champions.

The management of Bogdanka LUK Lublin took the necessary steps to re-include the outside hitter in the team's official roster. Although he was not initially registered for the season, due to the extraordinary circumstances, he received permission to be added to the squad.

Thus, Sawicki is now available to the coaching staff and has even been included in the squad for one of the most anticipated matches in the Polish championship – the game between Bogdanka LUK Lublin and Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie.

The clash pits the champion against the vice-champion of Poland, and for Lublin, this will be an important test against one of the strongest teams in the PlusLiga. In the home team, Bulgarian middle blocker Alex Grozdanov is also among the key figures, and Sawicki's return further expands the options in reception and attack.

The match between Bogdanka LUK Lublin and Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie will be played on Friday, March 13, at 8:50 PM, and is highly anticipated by Polish volleyball fans. Sawicki's return adds even more intrigue to the derby, in which Grozdanov and company will be looking for another strong result against one of their main rivals in the PlusLiga.

Photo: Nikolay Varadinov