19/03/2015 10:35
Skra with their back against the wall in Polish national league, still determined to vie for eternal glory in Berlin
2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Men
Belchatow, Poland, March 19, 2015. Just 10 days before the most important weekend of the Volleyball season, PGE Skra BELCHATOW suffered one of their heaviest defeats this year, losing on home soil by 0:3 to Lotos Trefl GDANSK. The Polish champions are now 1-2 down in best-of-five semifinal series of the PlusLiga.
“It looked like we are already in Berlin with our heads and minds. We are in a tight spot right now, but have to put the PlusLiga aside for some time and think only about the Final Four coming up in Berlin,” said PGE Skra’s middle blocker Andrzej Wrona after this major setback. PGE Skra have now ten days to regroup and get back in their best shape, as the fourth round of the Playoffs with GDANSK is scheduled to take place after the Final Four tournament of the 2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League.
“There are many problems we have to face, but I do not want to talk about that. The most important thing right now is that we have to be confident in our chances to overcome this difficult situation,” said Mariusz Wlazly. The PGE Skra’s captain came back for the match versus Lotos Trefl directly from the hospital as he has been fighting with flu for the last three weeks.
Wlazly is not the only player of Skra struggling with health problems. The other main force of the team from Belchatow, Michal Winiarski, played a perfect match in the return of the Playoffs 6 with Sir Safety PERUGIA but has not yet fully recovered from injury.
The current system of the Polish top-flight PlusLiga sees all teams play more matches than they were used to in the past. This decision has an even bigger impact for Skra than for the other teams since the Polish champions just completed their 44th official game of the current season. There is no time for rest or for regular training.
“We are facing some troubles but we believe in ourselves: in our team spirit, our skills and the good work we have already done. Up to now we achieved all the objectives we had set: we play in the semifinals of the PlusLiga and of the Polish Cup, and we will go to Berlin to fight for the medals of the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League. We have some difficult matches ahead, each one will be like a final for us, but we can win everything. We always play with full determination and with glowing hearts,” said PGE Skra’s President Konrad Piechocki.
|