Horror in the Polish national team match! Fans weren't expecting this.
Łódź is a positive place for coach Stefano Lavarini's team. It was at the Atlas Arena that the Polish women secured their qualification for last year's Olympic Games. As for the Nations League, the Polish women's volleyball team has finished last in the last two editions.
Expectations were therefore high for the hosts of the VNL 2025 final tournament . This was especially true given the Chinese team, whom the Poles defeated 3-1 in the intercontinental round. Moreover, they defeated their Chinese opponents on their home turf.
Nations League: Horror at the Atlas Arena. Polish vs. Chinese battle for the semifinals!Volleyball, however, has become accustomed to expecting the unexpected. From the very beginning, a packed Atlas Arena provided the home team with the kind of atmosphere for which Polish national volleyball matches are renowned. The national anthem was sung, and there was loud cheering throughout the match. All of this was supposed to further spur Coach Lavarini's team on to success. However, it turned out... quite differently.
The Polish team started the set losing 17-25. And although they managed to win the second set 25-20, Lavarini's team lost the third set again, this time 19-25. The score was 1-2, and questions began to arise as to whether the Nations League finals in Łódź would turn out to be a disastrous scenario. That is, one in which the hosts would be eliminated on the first day, in the quarterfinals.
However, the coach began to look for solutions. The starting lineup included setter Alicja Grabka, receiver Paulina Damaske, and center Aleksandra Gryka. And in fact, each of them contributed significantly to the home team's performance. The Polish team seemed to have decided that regardless of the Chinese team's performance – who performed very well indeed – they wouldn't leave the Atlas Arena without a win. Even a 1-3 tiebreak didn't deter Lavarini's team.
After such a comeback, from 0-1 and 1-2 in sets, a difficult start to the fifth set (won 15-12), only to finally win and send the Łódź fans into ecstasy. Well, it was the perfect scenario for a day when you could... fall in love with this team. Indeed, the Polish team proved, not for the first time, that they are a very competitive team. And a well-balanced one, too, because when a few key players might have had a weaker day, the substitutes helped them advance to the top four of the VNL 2025.
In Saturday's (July 26) semifinal, the Polish team will play against Italy. The level of difficulty will definitely increase.
All matches of the VNL 2025 women's volleyball final tournament will be broadcast on Polsat Sport. Additionally, matches of the Polish national team will be included in the schedule of the open-source Polsat channel. Online broadcasts will be available on the Polsat Box Go platform.
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