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Stilon Gorzów began the 2026/27 Polish men’s championship with a hard-fought away victory, defeating Podziemia Kredowe ChKS Chełm 2-3 (25:19, 21:25, 21:25, 25:21, 7:15).
In the opening match of the season for both teams, the visitors recovered after losing the first set and eventually dominated the deciding tie-break to claim two points.
The result was particularly significant for Gorzów, who arrived in Chełm with a revamped squad featuring experienced Polish setter Fabian Drzyzga. The former Poland international was named MVP after directing his team through a match in which the visitors gradually found solutions against a promising rival.
Chełm made the stronger start, taking the opening set 25-19. Playing in front of their home supporters, the hosts put pressure on Gorzów with their serving and attacking, while Amirhossein Esfandiar and Maciej Muzaj proved difficult to contain. The home team looked capable of making a winning start to a second consecutive season in the top division following their promotion in 2025.
Gorzów responded in the second set. As the visitors improved their serving pressure and blocking, the match began to turn in their favour. Illia Kovalov took on an increasingly important role in attack, while Chełm made costly errors at crucial moments. Stilon edged the second set 25-21 before maintaining the advantage in the third, again winning 25-21. Their blocking became particularly effective, helping them disrupt the home side’s attacking rhythm.
Chełm refused to give up and forced a deciding set. The fourth remained closely contested for much of the way, but Esfandiar helped the hosts regain control in the closing stages. Chełm eventually prevailed 25-21, setting up a tie-break after recovering from a set down.
The final set, however, was almost entirely one-sided. Gorzów quickly moved ahead, opening a 6-2 lead and reaching the change of ends with a commanding 8-3 advantage. Kovalov continued to find ways through the home block, while Chełm struggled to score consistently in attack. The visitors pulled further away and closed out the tie-break 15-7 to secure the victory.
The team statistics underline Gorzów’s superiority in several decisive areas. The visitors scored 60 attack points against Chełm’s 55, registered six aces to the hosts’ four and won 13 points from blocks compared with eight for the home side. The winners also committed fewer attacking errors, four against seven, although both teams gave away points through service errors, with 22 for the visitors and 16 for Chełm.
Esfandiar was Chełm’s leading scorer with 26 points, while Muzaj added 19. Despite their individual contributions, the hosts could not maintain their early momentum through the final set. For Stilon, the collective response after losing the opener proved decisive, with Drzyzga’s leadership and Kovalov’s attacking contribution helping the visitors finish strongly.
For Chełm, the defeat still brings one point from their opening match, but the collapse in the tie-break will be a concern for head coach Krzysztof Andrzejewski. The team showed enough quality to challenge Stilon and force a fifth set, yet will need greater consistency when matches reach their decisive moments.
Gorzów, meanwhile, can take confidence from a comeback victory that offered an early glimpse of the potential of their rebuilt squad. With Drzyzga named MVP and the team producing a strong finish under pressure, Gorzów leave Chełm with a positive start to the new campaign.
Tauron Liga will continue already tomorrow with the advance of Round 2 between Energa Indykpol AZS Olsztyn and NEONET Norwid Częstochowa.
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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. GKS Katowice 3
2. BOGDANKA LUK Lublin 3
3. PGE Projekt Warszawa 3
4. PGE GiEK SKRA Bełchatów 3
5. Stilon Gorzów 2
6. Jastrzębie Barkom 2
7. NEONET Norwid Częstochowa 2
8. Asseco Resovia Rzeszów 1
9. Ślepsk Malow Suwałki 1
10. Podziemia Kredowe ChKS Chełm 1
11. Energa Indykpol AZS Olsztyn 0
12. Energa Trefl Gdańsk 0
13. ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle 0
14. Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie 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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