In the final match of the season, IBB Polonia London treated the fans to a superb five set match. Greg Niski and his team were victorious and added two points to the Super-league tally for the season which resulted in a third place overall.
This was the very final match of the 2022-23 season and it was to decide who came in second place and who third.
Going into the match IBB Polonia London needed all three points to secure second place and started the match in bombastic form taking it by a five point margin; the players really did themselves proud. However this form soon petered out and the visitors took the lead 2-1 and with that a valuable point for the table which would guarantee them second place. Nonetheless, pride is always a big incentive and the fourth and fifth set saw a revitalised Polonia spring back to life and regain some of their legendary form.
„We really played up and down; we knew it would be a long match. Once we played amazingly, then minutes later fell apart and allowed the opponents to take control. Malory Eagles are a great team and their setter led them well and they also blocked well. We won in five sets, but it was fun and both teams should be proud” summarised Andrea Maggio
„There were aspects of Saturday’s performance that we should be proud of; winning of course goes without saying, but I was delighted when Niski brought Hassan Farhat on for the second half of the match. I was really impressed with how he played: he made some huge blocks and passed and hit almost faultlessly. Maggio slowly (and sensibly) brought him into the game and didn’t overload him at the start; but by the end of the fifth, Farhat became our most reliable scorer. He, and a three other young players spread across both teams are a product of our Pro Volley Academy, and for those players to feature so prominently in the top of the table clash shows how well the project has been working since its inception. Malory have always been our arch rivals: they were the best team in the country in the first decade this century, and we have taken over that mantle since. Matches between these two great teams have always been hotly contested, and I am pleased that the rivalry still exists” said Chris Hykiel after last game of the season.
Despite the win, The Team ends this campaign in third place. There have been 15 out of 18 victories and this is a great achievement in itself.
Congratulations to the entire squad including the coaches. Thank you to the best fans in the country; you have helped us through some tough games this. year.