Bogdanka LUK Lublin equalized the final series in the PlusLiga against Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie after a 3:1 (21:25, 25:21, 25:23, 29:27) victory in the second match. Stefan Antiga's team started hesitantly, but gradually imposed their rhythm and achieved a valuable comeback.
The start belonged to the guests from Zawiercie, who took a confident lead, but a series of serves from Alex Grozdanov including two aces brought Lublin back into the game already in the first set. Despite this, Warta closed it in their favor. In the following sets, the hosts showed greater stability, with Wilfredo Leon (22 points) leading the team in key moments.
Bulgarian international and team captain Alex Grozdanov played a strong match as a middle blocker, finishing with 10 points (+8 efficiency), 2 aces, 3 blocks, and an excellent 62% in attack. His presence at the net was crucial both in offense and in blocking.
An interesting moment from the match was the comeback in the fourth set Lublin was significantly trailing, but a series of serves from substitute Finian McCarthy brought the team back into the game. This highlighted the depth of the squad and the good reaction from the bench. At the same time, Zawiercie once again relied mainly on Bartłomiej Bołądź (27 pts.), but in crucial moments, there was a lack of sufficient variation. Thus, Lublin made an impressive comeback and snatched the 29:27 victory to close the match.
Team statistics:
| Category | Lublin | Zawiercie |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 3 | 7 |
| Positive reception | 32% | 35% |
| Attack points | 53 | 56 |
| Blocks | 10 | 10 |
| Opponent errors | 34 | 23 |
Lublin wins the match despite weaker statistics in several key elements. Zawiercie had an advantage in serving (7 aces against 3) and slightly better reception, as well as more attack points (56 to 53), which shows that, purely in terms of play, the guests were more effective in the first three contacts of the rally.
The difference comes from errors 34 gifted points from Zawiercie against only 23 for Lublin. This is a huge imbalance at this level and virtually tips the match. The block is completely even (10:10), which highlights that discipline and control in key moments were decisive.
In other words, Lublin wins not so much through domination, but with a stronger mentality and fewer errors, especially at the end of the sets.
The title series is now even 1:1, and the battle remains completely open. The third match of the final series will be played on Saturday, May 2nd, in Zawiercie. The clash could prove to be a turning point, as the winner will gain a psychological advantage in the battle for the title.
