Volleyball Spectacle in Ljubljana's Tivoli Hall Delivers Exciting Action in an Electric Atmosphere

The first home match of this season’s Champions League featured a clash between Slovenia's reigning champions and Poland’s PGE Projekt Warszawa in a packed Tivoli Hall. Despite being the clear favorites, the visitors dominated the first two sets. However, much to the delight of the thousands in attendance, ACH Volley Ljubljana surprised everyone by claiming the third set, narrowing the score to 1:2. In the final set, PGE Projekt lived up to expectations and secured their second group-stage victory in the Champions League.

Ljubljana – Tivoli Sports Hall, Attendance: 3,561, Referees: Vitor Alexandre Goncalves (POR), Juraj Mokry (SVK)

Final Score: ACH Volley Ljubljana 1 : 3 PGE Projekt Warszawa (-21, -19, 24, -17)

ACH Volley Ljubljana: Golzadeh 32, J. Kržič, Šket 1, Najdič, Esko 1, Marovt 3, Šen 9, J. J. Kržič 6, Kovačič (L), Štalekar 6, Pokeršnik 9, Videčnik, Kök 3, Kumer (L). Coach: Matjaž Hafner.

PGE Projekt Warszawa: Kowalczyk, Kochanowski 11, Firlej 3, Brand, Tillie 16, Wrona, Boladz 8, Semeniuk 9, Szalpuk 13, Gruszczynski (L), Wojtaszek (L), Weber 13, Borkowski 2, Kozlowski. Coach: Piotr Graban.

The opening set offered thrilling volleyball and a strong challenge from the Slovenian champions. After an excellent serving series by Esko, ACH Volley took an 11:8 lead. The team’s reception worked perfectly, allowing the Finnish setter to engage the Ljubljana attackers. However, Warsaw tightened their defense and tied the score at 15. A powerful serving streak by the visitors shifted the momentum, and the Polish team took a 17:20 lead, eventually winning the set 21:25 after a decisive ace by Kochanowski.

The Polish side maintained their dominance in the second set, increasing their tempo and excelling in all aspects of the game. Coach Hafner tried to inject some changes into ACH Volley’s play, especially in the setter-opposite connection. By the midpoint, the Polish team had built a six-point lead (8:14). Šen, replacing Marovt, reduced the deficit to 14:18 with an ace, but Firlej responded in kind (21:15). The set ended 19:25 following a serving error by Pokeršnik.

In the third set, the Ljubljana team regained their rhythm and managed to stay competitive. Pokeršnik and Šen energized the team, the middle attack improved, and the defense grew stronger. This reflected on the scoreboard as Pokeršnik’s block tied the score at 17, and Golzadeh’s spike gave the team a 19:17 lead. In a dramatic finish, ACH Volley converted their third set point, igniting celebrations in the packed Tivoli Hall (26:24).

The third set loss appeared to spark the visitors, who started the fourth set strongly, gaining a significant lead with Boladz dominating the attack (9:14). While ACH Volley fought back, they lacked the energy for a full comeback. The match ended with an effective attack by Tillie, the game’s MVP and two-time Olympic champion (17:25).

Coach Matjaž Hafner (ACH Volley Ljubljana):

“The incredible atmosphere in the packed Tivoli Hall and our encouraging performance are promising for the rest of the Champions League season. Congratulations to Warsaw, who were the better team today. We showed flashes of excellent play and started well, but in the end, we must commend our opponents for their victory. We need to build on today’s positives and address certain areas before our next match against Maaseik.”

Captain Jani Kovačič (ACH Volley Ljubljana):

“A very challenging opponent, against whom you must maintain 100% effort throughout the match. We started well in the opening set, but then dropped off, and they capitalized on it. I am most proud of our third set performance, where we found our rhythm and deservedly won. After that, the opponent demonstrated their quality and earned the victory.”