ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle won four out of five previous matches of this year’s Champions League. The Kędzierzyn team turned out to be better than CEZ Karlovarsko and Menen twice. The only defeat on the court was served to them by the Trentino Volley team. On Wednesday, January 25, the players of Tuomas Sammelvuo had the opportunity to pay back to Italy for the first clash in the group stage. Before the start of the match, it was known that two won sets would place ZAKSA in first place in the classification of second-placed teams.
ZAKSA is sure of advancing to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. Successful debut of Bartosz Bednorz. Polish match in the next phase
The return match against Trentino Volley was Bartosz Bednorz’s debut for ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. The Polish vice-champions looked great in the first set, and Bednorz quickly found himself in the new team. ZAKSA won the first set 25:17, and at one point was even leading by ten points. Nikola Grbić, the coach of the Polish national team, watched the rivalry of the Kędzierzyn team from the height of the stands.
The second set, despite initial problems, was also under ZAKSA’s control. The effectiveness of the Poles’ attack was almost 70 percent, and apart from Bartosz Bednorz, Łukasz Kaczmarek and Marcin Janusz impressed with the game. Tuomas Sammelvuo’s volleyball players won the set 25:15. In the third set, the Italians came to the fore, leading from the beginning of the set and at one point they had a seven-point advantage over ZAKSA. The Kędzierzyn team lost 18:25, which meant that the fourth set would be very tight.
Although Trentino Volley caught the wind in its sails, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle did not allow the rivals to lead high. Trentino was winning 16:13, but ZAKSA managed to equalize, among others thanks to service ace Dmytro Paszycki. The Poles were also very lucky, because at 20:20 and with David Smith’s service, the ball went to the other side on the tape. A moment later, a mistake was made by Bartosz Bednorz, who missed the pitch when attacking from the left side. After an exciting ending, the Italians turned out to be better (25:23), so everything was decided in the tie-break.
The tie-break started much better with Trentino, who quickly built a four-point lead. ZAKSA is back in the game, among others thanks to Łukasz Kaczmarek and was able to reduce the loss to one point. Ultimately, Trentino won 15:12 after a failed serve by Marcin Janusz and ended the group stage with a complete set of victories. ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle took second place and will play in the 1/8 finals with Aluron CMC Wart Zawiercie, which turned out to be the best in the classification of teams from third places.
ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Kozle in the Champions League. Group D table:
- 1. Trentino – 17 points – 6 wins – balance of sets: 18:4
- 2. ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Kozle – 12 points – 4 wins, 2 losses – 15:9
- 3. Karlovarsko – 7 points – 2 wins, 4 losses – 10:12
- 4. Menen – 0 points – 5 defeats – 0:18
ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle – Trentino Volley 2:3 (25:17, 25:15, 18:25, 23:25, 12:15)
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
