Lube, what a blow! Zawiercie beats Civitanova 3-0 and secures the Champions League final four

CIVITANOVA-ZAWIERCIE 0-3 (22-25, 16-25, 29-31)

A Zawiercie steamroller sweeps away Lube with a peremptory 3-0 which guarantees their place in the final four of the Champions League. Now the Marche team will need this feat to overturn a very difficult result: they will have to win the return match in Poland with the same score to then be able to play for the Golden set. But it will take a different Civitanova than the one seen tonight, a team that only came out in the thrilling final of the third set but alone cannot redeem a dull, subdued performance, not up to the standard of a Champions League quarter-final. Practically nothing worked in the Lube ranks: faulty on serve, not very incisive in attack, with many errors made, Medei’s team handed themselves over to an opponent who was already strong but who made the most of the cooks’ bad evening. It is no coincidence that Civitanova was only ahead in the score in the incandescent final of the third then handed over to the opponents by Nikolov’s error. It was known on the eve of Zawiercie that they were a tough opponent, but Winiarski’s team produced a performance of personality whose strengths were a stellar attack and a powerful serve. In addition to having limited errors, which did not happen at Lube. If in the red and white ranks it is difficult to save anyone from shipwreck, perhaps the only generous Gargiulo and Loeppky, among the Poles the performances of Bieniek, Kwolek and Russel well orchestrated by Tavares, MVP of the match, made the difference in a truly convincing team test.

For this match which gives Lube the ninth access to a semi-final in the top continental competition, coach Medei sends onto the pitch a sextet with the diagonal Boninfante-Nikolov, Bottolo-Loeppky spikers, D’herr-Gargiulo central players and captain Balaso libero. On the opposite side, coach Winiarski (formerly Trento) is on the bench, an old acquaintance of the Italian championship and players like the former Lube Bieniek and the world-class American Russell: it is no coincidence that the Poles played in the last Champions League final and in the Plusliga they ended the regular season in the lead this year. Therefore a very respectable opponent for the Marche team who will start again from where they ended their European journey, that is from a Polish club passing from Warsaw to Zawiercie. Nightmare start for Civitanova who suffers the power and aggression of the hosts and sinks to 1-5 with coach Medei forced to immediately play the time out. From which Lube returns and reacts and halves the disadvantage of opponents who show a few too many errors when serving. Bieniek on one side and Nikolov on the other are the most dangerous ends of the two teams: a run-up set for the red and whites who, with Bottolo’s ace, come very close to their opponents (14-15), putting pressure on Zawiercie who however responds like a great team, stretching ahead in view of the final sprint of the set. Where the inertia of the match remains the same as throughout the partial, with the Poles winning three set points and closing the second with Boladz’s winning attack. The second always opens in the name of Zawiercie who leads the way and doesn’t allow breaks to a Lube who struggles to serve and who is forced to chase from the start (6-10). Red and white who wrap up, Nikolov also makes a couple of errors which allow the Poles to extend the lead and play on the velvet. Medei plays the diagonal change by sending Orduna and Koukartsev onto the field but the move does not have the desired effects and so he retraces his steps. Meanwhile, the Poles leave (11-19) with an impeccable and lucid performance, especially on serve, which leaves no escape for a Civitanova incapable of showing a reaction capable of troubling Winiarski’s sextet. Loeppky’s shot at the net brought the curtain down on a dominated partial, emblematic of Civitanova’s service difficulties in this match. Civitanova with their backs against the wall: they must change pace and try to win this set both to extend this challenge and also to have some hope to play in the return match.

But Zawiercie has no intention of letting their guard down: the guests always lead in scoring while Lube doesn’t find positive responses, particularly from the serve. A break from the Marche brings the score back to parity for a moment, but the Polish team doesn’t disunite at all and as soon as they accelerate their level of play they do terrible damage to the Cucineri (10-14). Lube who finds a surge with Gargiulo and a goal attack from Gladyr (17-18) who revives a free-diving Palas for a finally point-to-point final. Where Civitanova takes the first lead of the match (22-21) with Nikolov and then everything happens: Zawiercie who misses a first match ball, Civitanova misses 5 to win the set and then gives up on the guest’s second match ball, with Nikolov’s fatal error. Return match which will decide the next round in Poland on 2 April.