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After two advances played on Friday, in which GKS Katowice stun defending champions Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie winning the game in just three sets, and the win of PGE Projekt Warszawa over Energa Indykpol AZS Olsztyn (read more here), and other two exciting games played on Saturday, won by NEONET Norwid Częstochowa and PGE GiEK SKRA Bełchatów, Round 1 of new 2026/27 Tauron Liga continued today with other two games.
Bogdanka LUK Lublin started the new season with a clean away victory against ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, 0-3 (23:25, 22:25, 21:25) in the first round of the championship.
The top scorer for the winners was Japanese international Ran Takahashi with 15 points, including 3 aces. Mikołaj Sawicki added 13, and Bulgarian middle blocker Aleks Grozdanov finished with 11 points, including 5 of the winners’ 9 winning blocks and 86% in attack (6/7).
The first two sets were evenly matched, but in the decisive moments, the visitors showed greater concentration and managed to assert their superiority. ZAKSA kept the match alive until the final rallies, but failed to find a way to win any of the sets.
In the third set, the hosts even managed to take the lead, but after the middle of it, the Lublin picked up the pace, turned the tide, and closed the match without losing a set.
For ZAKSA, Rafał Szymura scored 14 points, and Remigiusz Kapica remained with 9.
Interestingly, the champions achieved the victory without one of their big stars – Wilfredo Leon. The Polish international was in the squad but did not appear on the court.
The German national setter Jan Zimmermann, who recently joined ZAKSA after his unexpected departure from Italian side Vero Volley Monza, also did not play for the hosts.
The German was signed by the Serie A club due to the injury of American setter Rowan, but after only three training sessions, he surprisingly left Italy to move to Poland.
Statistics show the visitors’ advantage in the main elements. Bogdanka finished with 55% attack efficiency against 48% for ZAKSA, and in blocking, the superiority was 9-3. The hosts had more aces – 8 against 5, but also made more serving errors – 15 against 11.
Jastrzębie Barkom began their campaign in the Polish men’s championship with a hard-fought 2-3 away victory over Ślepsk Malow Suwałki, surviving a spirited comeback after taking the first two sets. The visitors eventually prevailed 23:25, 19:25, 25:22, 25:18, 9:15, securing two points from a match that changed direction before being settled by a commanding tie-break performance.
Barkom looked in control during the opening stages. The visitors managed the closing exchanges of the first set after Suwałki fought back from 16-21 to level at 23-23, taking the next two points to win 25-23. They then maintained their advantage in the second set, with Adam Lorenc and Bartosz Firszt leading the attack and middle blocker Wojciech Dudzik making an immediate impression on his debut in the Polish top flight. Barkom closed the set 25-19 to move within one set of victory.
Suwałki head coach Piotr Graban responded with several substitutions, bringing on Paweł Pietraszko, Ignacio Luengas and Bartosz Mariański. The changes helped the hosts find greater balance and intensity. Although Barkom remained competitive in the third set, Suwałki took control in the closing stages, opening a three-point gap at 20-17 and going on to win 25-22. The momentum continued into the fourth, where the hosts kept the pressure on and levelled the match with a 25-18 victory. Asparuh Asparuhov was particularly effective in that set, converting six of his eight attacks.
The deciding set, however, belonged to Barkom. Head coach Andrzej Kowal returned to his initial line-up, and the visitors quickly regained their rhythm. Lorenc was flawless in attack during the tie-break, while Dudzik added two aces to help Barkom pull away after the score had been level at 3-3. Suwałki struggled to find a response as the visitors took control and closed out the match 15-10.
Adam Lorenc finished as Barkom’s leading scorer with 24 points, while Bartosz Firszt contributed 19. Lorenzo Pope also scored 19 points, and Wojciech Dudzik completed an impressive debut with 11 points to his name. The middle blocker was named MVP after recording five aces, five successful attacks from seven attempts and one block. His impact from the service line proved particularly valuable in the decisive moments.
For Suwałki, Bartosz Filipiak led the team with 20 points, while Asparuh Asparuhov added 16. Łukasz Usowicz scored 10, and Ignacio Luengas contributed seven after coming off the bench. Despite winning back-to-back sets to force a tie-break, the hosts could not maintain their momentum in the final stage and had to settle for one point.
The result gives Jastrzębie Barkom a positive start to the season, but the match also showed Suwałki’s ability to respond under pressure after falling two sets behind. Barkom’s stronger finish ultimately made the difference, with Lorenc’s attacking consistency and Dudzik’s serving proving decisive when the match was on the line.
Round 1 will close tomorrow with the clash between Podziemia Kredowe ChKS Chełm and Stilon Gorzów.
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🏐| 2026/27 Tauron Liga | Kolejka 1 – Round 1
Friday October 16, 2026
• 17.30 (Local Time) | GKS Katowice – Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie 3-0 (26:25, 25:23, 25:22)
• 20.30 (Local Time) | PGE Projekt Warszawa – Energa Indykpol AZS Olsztyn 3-1 (27:29, 25:23, 25:17, 25:16)
Saturday October 17, 2026
• 15.00 (Local Time) | NEONET Norwid Częstochowa – Asseco Resovia Rzeszów 3-2 (26:28, 21:25, 25:22, 25:16, 15:13)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | PGE GiEK SKRA Bełchatów – Energa Trefl Gdańsk 3-1 (25:23, 19:25, 25:18, 31:29)
👉🏼Sunday October 18, 2026
• 15.00 (Local Time) | ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle – BOGDANKA LUK Lublin 0-3 (23:25, 22:25, 21:25)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Ślepsk Malow Suwałki – Jastrzębie Barkom 2-3 (23:25, 19:25, 25:22, 25:18, 9:15)
Monday October 19, 2026
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Podziemia Kredowe ChKS Chełm – Stilon Gorzów 2-3 (25:19, 21:25, 21:25, 25:21, 7:15)
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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. PGE Projekt Warszawa 3
2. PGE GiEK SKRA Bełchatów 3
3. GKS Katowice 3
4. BOGDANKA LUK Lublin 3
5. Jastrzębie Barkom 2
6. NEONET Norwid Częstochowa 2
7. Asseco Resovia Rzeszów 1
8. Ślepsk Malow Suwałki 1
9. Energa Indykpol AZS Olsztyn 0
10. Energa Trefl Gdańsk 0
11. ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle 0
12. Stilon Gorzów 0
13. Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie 0
14. Podziemia Kredowe ChKS Chełm 0
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🏐| NEXT GAMES | Kolejka 2 – Round 2
Tuesday October 20, 2026
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Energa Indykpol AZS Olsztyn – NEONET Norwid Częstochowa
Wednesday October 21, 2026
• 17.30 (Local Time) | BOGDANKA LUK Lublin – Energa Trefl Gdańsk
• 21.30 (Local Time) | Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie – ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle
Friday October 23, 2026
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Ślepsk Malow Suwałki – GKS Katowice
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Stilon Gorzów – Jastrzębie Barkom
Saturday October 24, 2026
• 18.00 (Local Time) | PGE GiEK SKRA Bełchatów – PGE Projekt Warszawa
Sunday October 25, 2026
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Podziemia Kredowe ChKS Chełm – Asseco Resovia Rzeszów
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• AGENDA 📝🏐
• 2026/27 TAURON LIGA – CALENDAR
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• Multimedia
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