Eurovolley2023: Poland first finalist! Slovenia defeated in four sets

2 min read

14 September 2023 Danijel90

In a breathtaking showdown at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, Italy, Poland overcame Slovenia in the first semifinal of the European Championship 2023 with a 3-1 win (23:25, 25:21, 25:20, 25:21).
This victory is especially significant given Poland’s past duels with Slovenia in this tournament.
In the 2019 and 2021 editions, in fact, Slovenia defeated Poland in the semifinals with identical 3-1 scores, but they also dominated the rivals in the Playoff phase with a 3-0 score in 2017!
However, this time, Poland stopped Slovenia’s winning streak and advanced to the EuroVolley finals, a stage they haven’t reached since their Gold Medal against France, back in 2009.

| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

The match started very slowly for Poland, and the players around head coach Nikola Grbic make several errors, losing the initial set 23-25, due to an error in attack by middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski.
Slovenia took an early lead also in the second set thanks to two aces in a row by Klemen Čebulj, flying at 6-2.
But after a timeout by Nikola Grbić, Poland reacted, leveling the score at 6-6. Slovenia’s unforced errors allowed Poland to keep the control, closing the set at 25-21.
The third set brought more drama when Slovenia’s setter, Gregor Ropret, twisted his ankle.
His exit significantly impacted Slovenia’s efficiency, and despite Uroš Planinšič stepping in, they couldn’t stop Poland’s prowess, who managed to close the set with a clear 25-20.
In fourth and decisive set, Wilfredo Leon made the difference: from a tied score of 11-11, from the service line but not only, he helped Poland escape to 17-11, featuring a powerful ace among his serves. And, not by chance, he also emerged as the match’s absolute top scorer, scoring as many as 25 points through 47% in attack, including 3 winning blocks and 2 aces.
On the losing side, Klemen Cebulj and Rok Mozic scored 15 points each.

In final, on Saturday, Poland will face defending champions Italy, who destroyed a bad France in the evening with the score of 3-0.

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🏐| CEV EUROVOLLEY 2023 | SEMIFINALS
September 14, 2023 | Palazzo dello Sport | Roma 🇮🇹

👉🏼 18.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Slovenia 3-1 (23:25, 25:21, 25:20, 25:21)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH