ACH Volley Ljubljana Volleyball Team Suffers Another Defeat Despite Promising Start in Poland

In the 4th round of the Champions League, ACH Volley Ljubljana traveled to Poland to face the formidable PGE Projekt Warszawa. The Orange Dragons delivered an impressive performance in the opening set, keeping pace with the home team until the final stages. However, they lacked the composure needed to pull off a surprise. In the subsequent two sets, the Warsaw players demonstrated their dominance and secured a well-deserved 3:0 victory.

Warsaw – Torwar Hall COS Warsaw, Attendance: 2,515, Referees: Andrii Kovalchuk (Ukraine), Ari Jokelainen (Finland).

PGE Projekt Warszawa : ACH Volley Ljubljana 3 : 0 (23, 13, 17).

PGE Projekt Warszawa: Kowalczyk, Kochanowski 8, Firlej, Brand 13, Tillie, Wrona, Boladz 1, Semeniuk 9, Szalpuk 15, Gruszczynski (L), Wojtaszek (L), Weber 15, Borkowski, Kozlowski. Coach: Piotr Graban.

ACH Volley Ljubljana: Golzadeh 13, Jošt Kržič, Šket 1, Najdič 1, Esko 1, Marovt 1, Šen 3, Janž Janez Kržič 6, Kovačič (L), Štalekar 3, Pokeršnik 8, Videčnik, Kožar, Kumer (L). Coach: Matjaž Hafner.

The match began with an exciting display of volleyball and strong resistance from the Slovenian champions, who served well and committed very few errors throughout the first set. Their block-defense was also impressive, allowing them to stay close to their heavily favored opponents. Pokeršnik equalized at 20 points with a successful attack, but PGE Projekt earned the first two set points and converted one through a powerful attack from Szalpuk, taking the set 25:23 and a 1:0 lead.

In the second set, the visitors from Ljubljana experienced a noticeable drop in their game, which the Warsaw players capitalized on to quickly establish an unassailable lead (12:4). Coach Hafner tried to interrupt their momentum with timeouts and substitutions, but the flow of the game did not change. PGE Projekt maintained their relentless pace and convincingly won the second set 25:13.

At the start of the third set, the Slovenian champions regained their composure and managed to keep pace with their opponents until the middle of the set. Golzadeh found his rhythm, but PGE Projekt ensured there would be no repeat of the first set. They increased their intensity with strong serves, gaining a comfortable lead for the final stages. Semeniuk sealed the match with a block on the first match point (25:17).

Statement from ACH Volley Ljubljana’s coach, Matjaž Hafner:
"It was an extremely tough match in Warsaw. We played the first set at a very high level, probably one of our best sets in this year’s Champions League. We served well, but Warsaw is one of the best attacking teams in the Polish league for a reason—they handled difficult situations exceptionally well. Unfortunately, we missed three block opportunities, while their quality shone through. As the match progressed, they served increasingly better, and our concentration waned. We also missed Jani, who is a leader in the team and knows how to steady things at the right moments."