Poland’s national women’s volleyball team, the White Reds, kicked off their Olympic Games qualification tournament in Lodz with a resounding 3-0 victory over Slovenia. Competing at the Lodz Atlas Arena from September 16th to 24th, they made a strong statement on their path to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Under the leadership of Stefano Lavarini, Poland demonstrated their superiority from the start. Agnieszka Korneluk set the tone in the first set with precise middle attacks, propelling the White-Reds to lead of 3-0, 7-3, and 13-7 before securing the set at 25-18. Wing attacks by Polish players left no room for a Slovenian comeback.
The second set began evenly, but Poland asserted control with dominant blocking. While Slovenia’s Eva Zatkovic improved, the young player’s efforts couldn’t match the growing confidence of the White-Red squad. Consecutive point blocks, aggressive net attacks, and precise wing attacks led to a convincing 25-15 victory.
Poland’s third set saw a momentary lapse, with unforced errors, but their dominance prevailed. Strong blocking and individual attacking prowess were commendable. Monika Fedusio made her tournament debut, and Martyna Czyrniańska joined for a critical block. The match concluded with a decisive attack by Martyna Łukasik, securing a 25-22 win.
With this dominant victory, Poland eyes their next challenge – South Korea, scheduled for 5:30 pm today (Sep 17). As they strive for a spot at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Poland competes fiercely in Group C, alongside South Korea, Thailand, the United States, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, and Poland. Only the top two teams in this group will secure coveted tickets to Paris, intensifying the stakes in this journey to Olympic glory.
Od zwycięstwa zaczynamy Olimpijski Turniej Kwalifikacyjny w Łodzi 🤩 Bardzo dobry początek w wykonaniu Biało-Czerwonych 🇵🇱
— POLSKA SIATKÓWKA (@PolskaSiatkowka) September 16, 2023
Polska-Słowenia 3️⃣:0️⃣ (25-18; 25-15; 25-22) pic.twitter.com/NBNhF8N1wS
Poland – Slovenia 3:0 (25:18, 25:15, 25:22)