Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle fought a close battle with Indykpol AZS Olsztyn. Both teams created a great volleyball spectacle, and the hosts were happy with the 3-2 victory. Thus, Adam Swaczyna made a successful debut as a coach.
Seweryn Czernek
January 25, 2024, 18:47
WP SportoweFakty / Paweł Piotrowski / In the photo: Grupa Azoty ZAKSY Kędzierzyn-Koźle volleyball players. Thursday’s competition in the 18th round of PlusLiga began with a match between Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Indykpol AZS Olsztyn. This match had a special meaning for the hosts. It was the first fight after the end of cooperation with Tuomas Sammelvuo, whose temporary replacement was Adam Swaczyna.
The result of this match was also important from the perspective of the table. Both teams were adjacent to each other and were separated by only one point in favor of ninth-placed ZAKSA.
The meeting began with a minute of silence in honor of Krzysztof Iwańczuk. The former volleyball player and coach, and president of the Lublin Volleyball Board since 1995, died on Thursday morning.
The beginning of the match did not go according to the hosts’ wishes. The Olsztyn team looked much better and jumped 7-4 after Alan Souza’s block. The visitors maintained a several-point advantage, and their rivals still could not find a good rhythm of the game.
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Over time, after Moritz Karlitzek’s service ace, AZS was already leading 16:11 and nothing indicated ZAKSA’s revival. The leaders were running away more and more and had the first ball of the set with an 8-point advantage. The hosts managed to reduce the size of the defeat, and the set ended with a broken serve by Bartosz Bednorz.
The second part had a much different course. The Kędzierzyn team showed a better level, and the visitors lost some air. As a result, after another effective attack by Łukasz Kaczmarek, the local team jumped to 8:5. The leaders gradually increased their advantage, and when the score was 16:9, Swaczyna’s coach decided to introduce a double substitution, thanks to which Mateusz Biernat’s debut took place.
However, this did not affect the situation on the dance floor. ZAKSA continued to play effectively, which allowed it to maintain a safe advantage. The set ended with a point attack by Andreas Takvam and the score was 25:19. The hosts thus equalized the match.
After a balanced start of the next part, thanks to two point plays by Karlitzek, AZS gained 8:5. Although the hosts quickly made up for some of the losses, after a while the rivals again built a large advantage. All thanks to Souza’s serves, three aces in a row from the attacker gave his team a 14:8 lead.
This advantage, however, did not allow the Olsztyn team to achieve a certain victory. ZAKSA responded with a 6-point series, which gave it a draw 18:18. The end of the game was very even. Both teams played point for point, and the victory was decided by the fight for advantages. The visitors turned out to be better in this game, winning 29:27 after a point block by Szymon Jakubiszak.
The irritated Kędzierzyn team set a strong pace from the first balls of the fourth set. After Bednorz’s block, they gained 5:3 and from then on they maintained the advantage. Over time, the difference in their favor increased to as much as five points, mainly due to the ineffective play of their rivals.
At the end of the game, the Olsztyn team started to make up for the losses, and after Manuel Armoy’s block they led to a draw 20:20. This time there was no advantage play, and after Karlitzka’s broken serve, ZAKSA won 25:23 and led to a tie-break.
The hosts quickly showed that they wanted to end this clash as quickly as possible. After Kaczmarek’s 24-point attack, they went 7-3 and were halfway to victory. However, this turned out to be very bumpy.
The AZS volleyball players started to make up for the loss, and after a 3-point series and a controversial action, they led to a draw 10:10. However, the Kędzierzyn team showed off an excellent finish and won 15:13, triumphing in this evenly matched battle 3:2.
Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle – Indykpol AZS Olsztyn 3:2 (19:25, 25:19, 27:29, 25:23, 15:13)
ZAKSA: Chitigoi, Kaczmarek, Takvam, Smith, Bednorz, Janusz, Shoji (libero) and Banach, Biernat, Kluth;
AZS: Souza, Jakubiszak, Karlitzek, Szerszeń, Tuaniga, Sapiński, Hawryluk (libero) and Majchrzak, Jankiewicz, Armoa.
MVP: Łukasz Kaczmarek (ZAKSA)
See also:
Ryszard Czarnecki expressed his condolences. Krzysztof Iwańczuk is dead
A new quarterback to save ZAKSA. Fourth this season
