Newspix / PRZEMYSLAW KAROLCZUK/400mm.pl / In the photo from the left: Aleksander Śliwka and Bartosz Bednorz
It was an excellent Wednesday for Polish clubs in the Volleyball Champions League. After Jastrzębski Węgiel, Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle also won the first of the semi-finals. The defending champions defeated Sir Sicom Monini Perugia 3-1 at home.
From the perspective of the Polish fan, this meeting looked great, because the club from Perugia is the current employer of two Polish representatives – Kamil Semeniuk and Wilfredo Leon, and the coach is Andrea Anastasi, who has been working in Polish clubs or with our team for many years. In Kędzierzyn-Koźle the mood was most militant.
– Both we and the volleyball players from Perugia are able to reach a very high level. The form of the day can decide the outcome, but we have already shown both this season and previous seasons that we are ready to play for high stakes. Since the end of the quarter-final with Trentino, everything is subordinated to Perugia. Of course, it is very difficult to indicate the favorite in this semi-final, because two really good teams will meet, but I believe that we will advance – admitted in a pre-match interview for the club TV channel Grupa Azoty ZAKSY Marcin Janusz, the quarterback.
This determination of the team of coach Tuomas Sammelvuo was visible from the very beginning. Łukasz Kaczmarek, David Smith and, above all, the ubiquitous Bartosz Bednorz were incredibly charged with energy, who not only refused to be excluded from the party, but also gave more than enough. On the other side of the net, only Wilfredo Leon shone, but it was definitely not enough for the defenders of the trophy, who won the premiere stage to 18.
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In the second set we had a swing of moods, unfortunately without a happy-end. Anastasi reached for Jesus Herrera from the substitutes’ box and it was the perfect solution to the lack of power on the Serie A team’s right wing. It was thanks to him that Perugia scored five points in a row to take the lead 18:15. But in the end, the inhabitants of Kędzierzyn made up for the losses and were the first to have a set ball 2:0 up. After Bednorz’s bad play into the net, the rivals scored a point. And then they won the next two actions and won 26:24.
In the third party, the hosts already took care of Herrera and Leon with a block. They continued their high-risk serve and jumped 5-6 points in the middle of the set. Grupa Azoty ZAKSA brought this advantage to the end, again thanks to the great attitude of Kaczmarek and Bednorz in the offensive. Andrea Anastasi was looking for changes, introduced e.g. Kamil Semeniuk, but it didn’t help. His team lost by 19.
The fourth installment is also Sir Sicoma Monini’s spurt. Although with the score 13:8 and 15:10 for the hosts it seemed that it was all over, Simone Giannelli launched the service and Semeniuk finished an important counter and it became 15:14. The final fragments, however, belonged to the inhabitants of Kędzierzyn, mainly thanks to Bartosz Bednorz, who shone in the most important moments of the meeting.
After a successful block by Marcin Janusz on Kamil Semeniuk, Grupa Azoty ZAKSA won 25:22 and the whole match 3:1. In order to advance to the Champions League final, the team from Kędzierzyn-Koźle needs at least two won sets in the rematch in Perugia scheduled for April 6.
Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Kozle – Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia 3:1 (25:18, 24:26, 25:19, 25:22)
ZAKSA: Janusz, Śliwka, Smith, Kaczmarek, Bednorz, Paszycki, Shoji (libero) and Kluth.
Perugia: Giannelli, Płotnicki, Flavio, Rychlicki, Leon, Russo, Colaci (free) oraz Herrera, Semeniuk, Ropret, Sole, Piccinelli (free).
MVP: Bartosz Bednorz (Grupa Azoty ZAKSA).
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