On Saturday, February 8, the inaugural III-league season of the Bolesławiec Volleyball Association came to an end. After playing 12 matches in the regular season, BTS finished third in Group A, resulting in a match for fifth place in the entire competition. Their opponents were TS Volley Żarów (who finished in the corresponding position in the other group), whom the Bolesławiec team defeated twice (3:2, 3:0).
Is fifth place in the III league a success or a failure for a club from Bolesławiec? Looking at the entire season, it is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. The final position and the impression left by the team are satisfying, although with a little luck they could have achieved more. Analyzing the matches one by one, let us look at what can be counted as a positive and what the Bolesławiec team failed to accomplish.
Before the season, few people believed that BTS had a chance to compete in the Lower Silesian competition. The team was supposed to gain experience in the IV league; meanwhile, the system was reorganized and an expanded III league, divided into two groups, was created. The Bolesławiec team entered their first match “on the fly.” They began training and preparing together too shortly before the start of the league for anyone to assess what they were capable of. They performed well in their opening match. They lost 1:3 away to Ikar Legnica, but it was clear that the team had great potential. At first glance, they only needed to improve a few minor elements and their coordination.
In the next round, they hosted Ogień Żmigród. The 3:0 victory surprised everyone, because the Żmigród team had been competing for several years, and had performed quite well in the IV league the previous season. The visitors never threatened the hosts.
The next opponent was Siatkarz Oleśnica. In this case, there was no doubt that achieving a favorable result would be difficult. The Oleśnica team were clear favorites to win the entire competition. It was a match “without a story”: 0:3. In the fourth round, Rosiek Syców came to Bolesławiec. During the first two sets, both teams played cautiously, unsure what to expect from each other. The spoils were shared, 1:1, and then the battle truly began, with the hosts emerging victorious. Another pleasant surprise: until recently, the Syców team had played in the II league, and now they were leaving the III-league newcomers without a single point.
The following week, the Bolesławiec team traveled to Złotoryja for a match. For several years, the rival team had unsuccessfully tried to reach the II league, assembling a strong squad every year. The 2013/2014 season was no different. It might have seemed that the newcomers were doomed to defeat, but, to BTS’s further surprise, they won 3:1, displaying excellent style and fighting spirit, particularly at the ends of sets. With each match, the team became more united. It was clear that the players had strong characters and were determined. In their last match before the return round, they proved that they could shake up the competition. They demolished Pogoń Góra at home and entered the return round in second place in their group. The players set themselves a goal that they wanted to pursue at all costs.
If they had retained that position in the standings, they would have had a chance to fight for promotion to a higher league at the end of the season. A team that had been unable to win the amateur competition in Bolesławiec the previous year had transformed into a cohesive and strong side, looking down from a higher position in the table on most of the teams in the III league.
The return round was supposed to complete the good performance from the previous phase. Ikar Legnica, their direct rival for second place in the standings, came to Bolesławiec for the opening match. It was a completely different game from the one in Legnica. This time BTS also lost (2:3), but the play was so even that until the end it was impossible to tell which team deserved the victory. It was enough for one of the players to lose concentration for a moment, and the opponent would ruthlessly take advantage. In such a match, it is enough for one team to have a little more luck, a “better gust of wind,” and win. An interesting fact demonstrating how closely contested the match was: the Bolesławiec team scored more points in the match (23:25, 25:21, 25:15, 23:25, 14:16).
The next match was the return fixture against Ogień Żmigród away from home. In strange circumstances, the Bolesławiec team lost the match (2:3). Their play seemed good, but they could not maintain a consistent level throughout the game. The points they dropped began to show, and BTS fell to third place in the standings.
The following weekend brought an away trip to Oleśnica. The Bolesławiec team had no arguments with which to challenge the experienced Oleśnica players. The hosts’ team included as many as four players with experience in Poland’s top division. As in the first meeting, the result was 0:3.
Immediately after the Christmas and New Year break, the volleyball players traveled to Syców. Remembering how hard-fought the teams’ first meeting had been, the 3:0 victory could be considered good rehabilitation for the recent defeats. The idyll did not last long, however. Just as it seemed that the Bolesławiec team was returning to the right track, the strengthened Złotoryja team arrived for the return match. Ren-But gave the hosts no chance and won 3:0 in excellent style.
In Bolesławiec, they were already aware that they could forget about the coveted second place. The remaining goal was to hold on to third place, and a win in Góra against Pogoń was needed for that. The volleyball players traveled to the match with a heavily depleted squad, but managed to win… 3:2. Dropping a point meant that their total in the standings was 19 points, exactly the same as Ren-But Złotoryja. After the so-called small points ratio was calculated, it turned out that BTS Bolesławiec had the better record and finished the regular season in third place. This result secured only a two-match series against the third-place team from the other group.
In the two-match series for fifth place in the III league, BTS faced TS Volley Żarów. After recording two victories, BTS successfully concluded the season. The team had ambitious goals from the beginning, and they fell only slightly short of achieving them. The players, coach and board all gained valuable experience, which can only pay off in the future. Their run of bad luck had probably also been exhausted; players’ injuries and unforeseen circumstances had a significant impact on their weaker performance in the return round. The situation might also have looked different if the groups had been divided differently. As it turned out, Group A, in which the Bolesławiec team played, was definitely stronger, as demonstrated by the fact that six of the seven teams (one still has an unresolved two-match series) won their contests against teams from Group B.
Life does not like stagnation: those who do not move forward are left behind, so the club will certainly make every effort to join the fight for promotion to the II league next season.
Season record 2013/2014:
- matches: 14
- wins: 8
- losses: 6.
information: Tomasz Włoszczyński