Club Volleyball

Leon takes centre stage to secure 3-0 win for LUBLIN in Melilla

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Article Thu, Jan 16 2025

Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN of Poland celebrated a comprehensive 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-23, 25-21) in their first matchup with CV MELILLA scheduled for the quarterfinals of the men’s CEV Challenge Cup. The match was played in a packed Javier Ortiz Imbroda Pavilion, with the local crowd supporting the home side with much passion and enthusiasm. Even though CV MELILLA ended up losing in straight sets, the Spaniards still had their fair chances in each one.  

Wilfredo Leon scored 11 points for LUBLIN as they powered to a 3-0 victory in Melilla

The first set started as a close affair (5-5), with both teams scoring well. The Poles took advantage of some minor errors made by the hosts to take a two-point lead and break away to 11-7, with Wilfredo Leon’s rotation on serve forcing CV MELILLA head coach Salim Abdelkader to call a time-out to change the dynamic of the game. The Lublin team showed no flaws, which made it difficult for the Melilla side to get closer, since their good reception paved the way for highly effective attacks. Despite everything, the locals fought back to 12-14. CV MELILLA withstood the enormous quality of the Poles with very fast actions, which made the score almost equal at 17-18, with the visiting coaching staff then having to stop game. This circumstance had the desired effect, as LUBLIN quickly went four points ahead by scoring three straight points. This eventually resulted in a 25-19 set win for the visiting team. 

The Melilla team brought all the local fans to their feet after starting the second set with a 7-3 run, with some high-calibre Volleyball that caught by surprise even the impeccable Polish reception. It did not take long, however, for the Lublin team’s machinery to restart with a great serve but above all their block, which quickly moved the score to 13-9 in their favour. With the Melilla team having to stop the match with a time-out after a very negative streak (2-10), the hosts never gave up and re-opened the fate of the set when closing in at 18-19. They kept the score close up until 23-23 with the contribution of a tremendous Federico Martina but they eventually ended up losing the second set as LUBLIN scored the next two points. 

The hosts trailed 5-8 early in the third set as the visitors looked highly motivated to close the match in three sets and travel home with maximum points. The Poles showed off their best weapons, but CV MELILLA responded well, eventually leading 18-17. However, at the Polish team seemed to struggle a bit, superstar Wilfredo Leon took centre stage and helped the visitors finish it off in style. 

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