The playoff phase in the Men's Volleyball Champions League definitively shaped the quarter-final picture of the tournament, and it clearly shows one thing – the strength of Polish club volleyball. A total of four teams from PlusLiga found a place among the eight strongest in Europe –Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, PGE Projekt Warsaw, Bogdanka LUK Lublin and Asseco Resovia Rzeszów.
Such a concentration of teams from one country at this stage of the tournament is rare and is further proof why PlusLiga continues to be considered the strongest championship on the continent.
Lublin and Zawiercie reached the quarter-finals directly as group winners, while Warsaw and Rzeszów had to go through the playoff phase.
| Match-up | First Leg | Second Leg | Final Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGE Projekt Warsaw – Itas Trentino | 2:3 | 3:2 | Warsaw advances after golden set |
| Guaguas Las Palmas – Montpellier | 3:1 | 2:3 | Guaguas Las Palmas |
| Asseco Resovia Rzeszów – Knack Roeselare | 3:0 | 3:1 | Rzeszów |
The most dramatic clash was between Warsaw and Trentino, where the Polish team eliminated the Italian giants after a golden set. Rzeszów also showed class and decided the series against Belgian Roeselare with two convincing victories. Guaguas Las Palmas, in turn, became the big surprise of the phase, eliminating French Montpellier.
| Pairing |
|---|
| Bogdanka LUK Lublin HARBOUR PGE Projekt Warsaw |
| Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia – Guaguas Las Palmas |
| Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie – Cucine Lube Civitanova |
| Asseco Resovia Rzeszów – Ziraat Bankkart Ankara |
The clash between Lublin and Warsaw guarantees that one Polish team will certainly play in the Final Four of the tournament. At the same time, the biggest surprise – Guaguas Las Palmas – will face the leader of the Italian championship and current European champion Perugia.
| Place | Team | Points | Matches | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie | 56 | 24 | 19 | 5 |
| 2 | PGE Projekt Warsaw | 48 | 24 | 17 | 7 |
| 3 | Bogdanka LUK Lublin | 47 | 23 | 16 | 7 |
| 5 | Asseco Resovia Rzeszów | 43 | 23 | 15 | 8 |
The table clearly shows the strength of these clubs – three of them are in the top 3 of the Polish championship, and Rzeszów is also stably positioned at the top. It is this depth of competition that makes PlusLiga the toughest club championship in Europe.
Bulgarian interest in the quarter-finals
The Champions League quarter-finals will be followed with particular attention by Bulgarian fans, as three Bulgarian volleyball players are part of the teams that have reached this phase of the tournament.
The most serious interest is related to Bogdanka LUK Lublin, where the national team captain playsAlex GrozdanovThe middle blocker is having a strong season in Europe and is ranked 4th in the tournament's blocker standings with 16 successful blocks.
| Place | Player | Team | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmet Tümer | Galatasaray | 21 |
| 2 | Yurii Semeniuk | PGE Projekt Warsaw | 20 |
| 3 | Pablo Crer | Lvi Prague | 17 |
| 4 | Alex Grozdanov | Bogdanka LUK Lublin | 16 |
| 5 | Giovanni Gargiulo | Lube Civitanova | 15 |
Grozdanov's presence among the top five blockers in the tournament shows how important his role is for Lublin's strong European season.
In the other quarter-final pair, Cucine Lube Civitanova – Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, Bulgarian fans will follow the performance ofAlex Nikolov. The receiver of the Italian grand club is in 8th place among the most productive players in the tournament with 110 points.
| Place | Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Alex Nikolov | Lube Civitanova | 110 |
Nikolov continues to be one of Lube's main scorers and an important part of the Italian team's attack.
There is also a Bulgarian connection in the other quarter-final. Spanish champion Guaguas Las Palmas, which has become the surprise of the tournament, relies on former national setterDobromir DimitrovThe Spanish team will face the leader in the Italian championship and reigning European champion Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia.
First quarter-final dates
| Match | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Guaguas Las Palmas – Perugia | March 24 | 20:00 |
| Cucine Lube Civitanova – Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie | March 25 | 21:30 |
The clash between Lube and Zawiercie will be particularly intriguing, but attention will also be focused on the Perugia – Las Palmas match, where the Spanish surprise will try to stop the reigning European champion.
Busy schedule before the European battles
Before the Champions League matchesBogdanka LUK Lublinhas three more matches in the PlusLiga regular season:
derby against leader Zawiercie
March 17 – away game at Gdańsk
March 21 – home game against Częstochowa, which is theoretically already relegated
Cucine Lube Civitanovameanwhile continues their quarter-final series in the Italian Serie A against Trentino, leading 1-0.
March 15 – second match
March 18 – third match in Trento
If necessary, fourth and fifth matches will be played.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov and cev.eu
