Lublin – Projekt Warsaw 01.04.2026

We are now entering the second phase of the quarter-finals of the Volleyball Champions League. It is all about winning the quarter-finals for the teams that want to advance to the Final Four, which will be played on May 16th and 17th in Turin.

Last week we had some crazy matches in the first quarter-final matches. I was lucky enough to catch the five-setter between Guaguas Las Palmas and Perugia in Gran Canaria, but that's not the match I'm going to analyze.

We are going to the all-Polish match between Lublin and Projekt Warszawa. In the first match, Projekt Warszawa won 3–1, after a very rollercoaster match, in which Warsaw won the third set, which turned out to be decisive.

What we will especially take away from last week's match is how Projekt Warszawa challenged Wilfredo León in receptions by serving almost all the balls to him. When the match was over, León had a total of 54 receptions.

Lublin – can they strike back at home?

Lublin played Bełchatów at home in the Polish league play-offs this weekend, winning comfortably 3–0. This gave them a good boost for the most important match of the season at home against Projekt Warszawa.

For Lublin, it's now a matter of figuring out how to handle the tactical play Projekt Warszawa introduced in the previous match, where they had León as their serve target. The question is whether they can come up with a counterattack on Wednesday.

Projekt Warszawa – can they play another tactical battle?

Since Projekt Warszawa lost to Lublin on March 8 in PlusLiga, they have won five straight matches, as well as a Golden Set against Trentino in the playoff to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

The question is whether they can continue the fantastic form they are in, and whether they can come up with a new tactical master plan on Wednesday?

Match analysis

Both teams come into the match with comfortable wins from the weekend, which means they are relatively evenly matched in terms of match load and physical strength. This sets the stage for a match where quality and tactical choices will be crucial.

I expect Projekt Warszawa to try to establish their structured and tactically disciplined game to counter the more physically dominant players from Lublin. A key factor could be their serve tactics, where they are likely to once again put pressure on Wilfredo León to break his rhythm. By pressuring him in reception, they could reduce his effectiveness in the attacking game and make it more difficult for Lublin to establish their usual tempo offensively.

At the same time, I think Lublin will start aggressively, with high serve pressure and heavy jump serves to put Warsaw's reception under pressure. They will also likely utilize their physical strength in attack, with powerful finishes to break down a Warsaw team that relies more on collective flow and interaction than individual performances.

The match could therefore be a clear contrast between Lublin's raw physicality and Warsaw's more systematic and balanced style of play. If Lublin succeeds with their serve pressure, they can force Warsaw out of rhythm and take control of the match. If not, Warsaw will have good opportunities to control the tempo and steer the match in their favor.

In terms of starting points, the pressure is clearly on Lublin. They need a 3–0 or 3–1 win to force a Golden Set and keep their hopes of a Final Four alive. Projekt Warszawa, on the other hand, only need to win two sets to secure advancement, giving them a significant tactical advantage and less risk in their approach.

Overall, I expect Lublin to win the match, driven by home advantage and physical dominance. The question is whether they can be consistent enough over time to win clearly enough (3–0 or 3–1) to force a Golden Set. That seems like a real possibility, but it will require them to hit serve pressure and maintain intensity throughout the match.

Volleyball at 18:00: Lublin – Projekt Warszawa: Lublin win (1.60)