The Polish men’s volleyball team, led by coach Nikola Grbić, achieved a historic victory in the 2023 edition of Volleyball Nations League.
The Polish men’s volleyball team, led by coach Nikola Grbić, achieved a historic victory in the 2023 edition of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League. They triumphed over the United States in the final, winning 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18). This victory marks Poland’s first-ever title in the prestigious international competition. Earlier on Sunday, Japan secured a fantastic 3-2 (25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25, 15-9) win over world champions Italy to make their first podium appearance in the VNL, finishing in third place to take bronze.
The victory against the Americans also highlighted the depth of the Polish roster. Poland had six players who helped the country win its third world title in 2018. In the final round, the Polish team struggled. Captain Bartosz Kurek got injured shortly before the final round. He was replaced by substitute Lukasz Kaczmarek. Lukasz led the team’s scoring efforts in the gold medal match. The 29-year-old opposite was unstoppable and became the match’s top scorer with 25 points (23 kills, one block, one ace).
“It’s really amazing to win such an important title at home, with this atmosphere and in front of these fans,” Kaczmarek reflected. “Unfortunately, Kurek had this injury and couldn’t play, but I’m happy that I could help the team and enjoy this moment.” This was also the maiden Nations League cup for the Polish Volleyball team.
The men’s volleyball Nations League 2023 was accompanied by many strong performances. It also saw many young and fresh talents emerge out of the dark thickets. Listed below is a list of volleyball players who got recognition for their outstanding performances:
Poland’s first-ever Volleyball Nations League title was historic in more than one way as it also featured the selection of Pawel Zatorski as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. This also makes him the first Libero to receive this award in five editions of the event.
The 33-year-old Zatorski is one of the faces of the Polish national team and the only player to have been on the squads that took gold at both the 2014 and 2018 FIVB Volleyball World Championships to continue with the roster in the VNL 2023 Finals. The experienced libero was one of four Polish players selected for the VNL 2023 Dream Team. There were two players from second-placed the United States and one from bronze medalists Japan which completed the tournament’s ideal lineup.
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