Jakub Kochanowski was officially named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the men`s Volleyball Nations League 2025. The announcement came on Monday, following the Polish national team`s victory in Ningbo, China, where they secured the VNL 2025 crown. On the same day, Kochanowski, who also serves as the team`s captain, was recognized as the best middle blocker and included in the tournament`s Dream Team.
With key players Bartosz Kurek and Aleksander Sliwka sidelined by injury, the 28-year-old Jakub Kochanowski stepped up to captain the Polish squad, guiding them to their VNL 2025 triumph. This marks his third consecutive inclusion in the VNL Dream Team (following 2023 and 2024), but this year he also secured the coveted MVP title.
Despite playing in only the final seven matches of the tournament, Kochanowski`s leadership and performance were crucial. He contributed 55 points, including 14 block kills and 5 aces. His offensive efficiency was remarkable, boasting an average success rate of 69% throughout the competition. In Sunday`s gold medal match against Italy, where Poland secured a decisive victory, Kochanowski was a standout, achieving a 71% attack success rate and two block kills, contributing seven points overall.
Reflecting on the team`s achievement after the final, Jakub Kochanowski told Polsat Sport, “We progressed from victory to victory, continuously improving our performance in each match.” He added, “Holding this trophy as a substitute captain is an incredible feeling, as this team truly deserves it. Our journey, from the match against France in Gdansk to these Finals, saw us gain confidence with every game. Our play today was so exceptional that I believe no team in previous editions deserved this trophy as much as we did.”
Standing at 1.99 meters, Kochanowski is the third Polish volleyball player to earn the VNL MVP award. Previous Polish recipients include Bartosz Kurek, who shared the honor with Brazil`s Wallace de Souza in 2021, and libero Pawel Zatorski, who was named MVP in 2023 when Poland claimed their inaugural VNL title.
Poland has impressively secured a podium finish in the VNL for six consecutive editions since 2019, with Kochanowski contributing to each campaign, accumulating two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals. His distinguished career also includes an FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship gold in 2018 and silver in 2022, along with an Olympic silver medal from the Paris Games last year, where he also earned a spot on the Dream Team. Furthermore, he was part of the Polish teams that won silver at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup and gold at the 2023 CEV Men’s Volleyball European Championship. In his younger years, Kochanowski was a two-time world champion with Poland`s U19 and U21 national teams in 2015 and 2017, respectively, receiving the MVP award for the U21 triumph.
Kochanowski`s club career has been equally impressive, consistently playing for Polish clubs. He currently represents PGE Projekt Warsaw, bronze medalists in the 2025 PlusLiga. In 2021, he achieved a Champions League title with Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, earning a spot on the competition`s Dream Team. The year 2024 saw him lift the CEV Cup trophy while playing for Asseco Resovia Rzeszow.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick