The festival is officially canceled! A shocking scenario in the game for promotion to the PlusLiga

In Wrocław and throughout Lower Silesia, there is no men’s volleyball at the PlusLiga or PLS 1st League level. To taste something more serious, you have to stick your nose out beyond the voivodeship border, or even pass more than one of these borders.

However, the southern part of the country is famous for volleyball. This time it happened that GKS Katowice and BBTS Bielsko-Biała faced each other in a direct fight for promotion to the PlusLiga. On Tuesday (May 5) evening, the miners’ orchestra was waiting around the corner, and champagne was supposed to pop after the last ball in honor of the hosts.

They had. But not this time.

Instead of 3-0 in the series for GKS, it was 3-0, but in the match for BBTS. The people of Bielsko thus gave themselves at least one more chance. However, there was a murmur of uncertainty in Katowice. However, the thing about sport is that everyone can have a bad day. GKS has used one lifeline so far. Two more are waiting calmly.

Katowice has sport in its blood. GieKSa has a beautiful home

Writing about the match point by point, especially in the era of the ongoing play-off, is actually pointless. Instead, space in the text can be devoted to recommending a location worth visiting. We are talking about a sports complex built in Katowice.

Arena Katowice, i.e. a football stadium (so-called Nowa Bukowa), but also a sports hall and a hotel. In addition, training pitches, a parking lot and generally everything that should be in one place – in a city like Katowice.

It was a pleasure to watch families wearing characteristic yellow T-shirts heading to the volleyball hall. And at the same time talking about what will happen if they go after the players. Although, actually, I should write that simply – for my beloved GieKSa. Just to Nowa Bukowa. On one side is the stadium, on the other is the arena. Whatever and who prefers.

Although the slogan “PlusLiga” could be heard in front of the entrance to the hall, used in almost every possible way, it was not a matter of life and death. Volleyball in Katowice has its traditions, but they are mainly related to Spodek and the Polish national team, rather than the club game of GKS. For years, the inhabitants of Katowice were mainly associated – we are talking about the most recent history – with Szopienice. In this part of the city there is a hall where GKS played, with a few exceptions and the game in Spodek, mainly on special occasions.

Although the club from Katowice certainly takes the promotion to the PlusLiga seriously, looking at the names playing for Katowice. Wojciech Włodarczyk, Michał Superlak, Wojciech Ferens, Bartłomiej Krulicki, Grzegorz Pająk, Kajetan Marek and Gonzalo Quiroga – there is a lot of league experience here. But even “old” players’ hands can shake, especially when there are a lot of fans in the stands – including the mayor of Katowice, Marcin Krupa, the captain of the top league football team GKS Arkadiusz Jędrych, over a thousand fans, etc.

However, regardless of the hosts’ disposition on the day, or the cool blood and consistency on the part of BBTS, a visit to Arena Katowice is worth recommending to anyone and everyone. It seems that if sport in Poland was treated with such respect, we would not worry about medals at major events or problems with overweight youth.

A well-deserved sweep of the final. BBTS also wants to win at Dębowiec

The visitors from Bielsko-Biała winning to zero in sets is surprising because it showed both the strength of BBTS and the weakness of GKS.

A few facts. The opening set was brilliantly powdered with a series of serves by Ferens, introduced from the square for the substitutes. Final MVP number 2, Quiroga, was quickly replaced in the third match. And it was the right decision of coach Emil Siewiorek. GKS with Ferens in the service box went from 14:22 to 20:22, but finally captain Pająk’s throw-in closed (23:25) this part of the match.

The same Ferens did not break through the triple block on the set ball in the second set (23:25). And although in the third part GKS was even ahead 15:13 – one of the few leads of the hosts in the entire match – in the end, BBTS kept its cool again. One might get the impression that much of this is due to the coaching duo. Adrian Hunek as “one” and Mateusz Mielnik as “two”. The latter is much more experienced in training, which only helps Hunk. The former center, who has experienced practically everything behind the scenes of PlusLiga, is developing interestingly and it is worth watching his next steps as a coach.

I mentioned Lower Silesia at the beginning, so I will add that when it came down to it, the best scorers in the matches were two gentlemen – of course – from this voivodeship. On the hosts’ side, Michał Superlak, the author of 14 points, from Wrocław, and among the winners Szymon Romać – elected MVP of the match – with 22 points. The BBTS attacker remembers the ancient times when the club from his hometown was in the PlusLiga. We are talking about Cuprum Lubin, where the left-handed player introduced himself to a wider audience.

However, times are changing, Cuprum has become Stilon from Gorzów Wielkopolski, but Romać still fights within PlusLiga. Recently, he successfully achieved promotion – in 2021 with the club from Lublin. Exactly the same, then as LUK (still without Bogdanka), which quickly became the Polish champion.

BBTS would probably also like to refer to its best times. The club from Bielsko-Biała is an informal heir to the tradition from years ago, which operated under the banner of a certain Włókniarz. A multi-section tycoon who had many champions in his ranks – including boxers Marian Kasprzyk and Zbigniew Pietrzykowski. Volleyball players used, among others, after the Polish Cup (1994), or stood on the podium of the Polish Championships (1993).

The link between those and current events is Wiktor Krebok, who can be seen at virtually every match in the hall near Dębowiec. In the past, among others coach of the Olympic team (1996), but also a man from Bielsko-Biała.

BBTS has not been in PlusLiga since 2023. To extend their hopes for promotion, the Bielsko team must win on Friday (i.e. May 8). GKS has one more “maybe, but doesn’t have to” match. The inhabitants of Katowice, as last year’s relegation team from PlusLiga, probably do not allow for the scenario that they will lose to BBTS for the second time. But on Tuesday, few people expected that they would leave the Arena Katowice without seeing – with their own eyes – the hosts celebrating their promotion.

Yet. In volleyball, although it seems to be a relatively quantifiable competition, when the stakes are high, virtually anything can happen. And the prospect of not four, but five promotion matches is not that unlikely.