Luxembourg, April 13, 2021. Grupa Azoty Zaksa KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE amazed the Volleyball world in this edition of the CEV Champions League Volley - Men eliminating two giants Cucine Lube Civitanova and Zenit Kazan on their way to the Super Finals in dramatic Golden Sets. Not less spectacular has been the performance of Kamil Semeniuk, who without any doubt can be considered the Next Big Thing in Volleyball (read more here). The 24-year-old outside spiker called by the Polish fans "The Machine" is one of the brightest stars of this edition of Europe's elite competition.
The native of Kędzierzyn-Koźle has been one of the most notable players of Grupa Azoty Zaksa KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE contributing with as many as 153 points and being ranked the second-best scorer of this edition of the Champions League - only behind Nimir Abdel Aziz! Therefore, there was no coincidence that in the knock-out-phase he was named the MVP on three occasions. Feeling no fear in the direct clashes against the best outside spikers in the world like Earvin Ngapeth (Zenit), Osmany Juantorena and Yoandy Leal (Lube), he proved that he has no less skills and talent to belong to this elite group. Especially that at his age he is only spreading his wings and by earning more experience he can become an even more valuable player.
The numbers can say a lot – 122 kills, 17 winning blocks, 14 aces and 48.22% of success in attack – this is Semeniuk’s record thus far, that he hopes to improve during the Super Finals in Verona. With his wide array of plays and ability to find smart solutions on the court, his opponents don’t have an easy job to prevent him from scoring. It is worth to emphasise that in decisive moments he can withstand pressure well, helping his team to reverse the score even in the most difficult cases i.e., denying 5 match points against Zenit – in addition to this, he was the one to seal a set victory in this unbelievable comeback (Zaksa won 3-2 despite losing the first two sets).
Semeniuk has worn Zaksa's shirt since 2012, when at age of 16 he joined Young Zaksa [the men's under-23 team], becoming a member of the senior squad three years later. But he did not play the prime role, spending most of the time on the bench. In the 2018/2019 season, he was on loan in Warta Zawiercie earning a spot in the first squad and regularly competing in the PlusLiga. The team from Zawiercie reached then their best result ever finishing 4th in the Polish League. Then, he returned to Zaksa and with hard work and persistence, he became a member of Nikola Grbić's first squad. He performed really well already in the last season interrupted by the pandemic outbreak, but the 2020/2021 campaign has turned into his show. 434 points scored thus far in PlusLiga make his the best scorer of Zaksa also in the national league, the Most Valuable Player of the Polish Cup, but still there is more to come as this week Grupa Azoty Zaksa KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE start the finals of the PlusLiga to defend their title earned in 2019.
And the cherry on top – writing history with his club in the most anticipated event in the world of club volleyball competitions. On May 1 in Verona, Semeniuk along with his teammates will fight against Trentino Itas for the first Champions League title for Grupa Azoty Zaksa KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE, the club that he vividly supported in his youth. So, no one can be surprised that he says: "Some of my dreams are coming true right now."
