The Polish volleyball team triumphed in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), defeating Italy 3-0 in the final. The White and Reds didn’t lose a single set during the final tournament held in Ningbo, China. Middle blocker and captain Jakub Kochanowski emphasized that with each match, his team played better and better.
Coach Nikola Grbić’s squad opened the final tournament with a 3-0 win against Japan, followed by a semifinal victory over Brazil by the same score. However, their triumph over Italy was the most decisive.
Poles take VNL gold
“We really went from win to win. And in such a way that each next match was better and better. So huge respect for the guys,” said Kochanowski in an interview with Polsat Sport. In Ningbo, the middle blocker served as the captain of the Polish team, due to Bartosz Kurek still recovering and Aleksander Śliwka being sidelined by injury.
“It tastes fantastic because this team truly earned it – with the way we built ourselves up from the match against France to these finals here. Each match better than the last, with more and more confidence. And today, we played such a perfect game that I truly believe no one deserved this trophy in previous editions as much as we did in this one,”
Kochanowski stressed.
Kochanowski revealed that coach Grbić will allow his players a brief moment to celebrate the victory, before they resume intense training during their training camp in Zakopane – in preparation for the most important event of the season: the World Championship in the Philippines this September.