Jakub Kochanowski has been named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the men`s Volleyball Nations League 2025.
The announcement of the Polish national team captain receiving this prestigious individual accolade came on Monday, following his team`s victory in Ningbo, China, the previous day. Additionally, on the same Monday, Kochanowski secured a spot on the tournament`s Dream Team, recognized as the premier middle blocker.
Stepping up as captain due to the injuries of Bartosz Kurek and Aleksander Sliwka, the 28-year-old Jakub Kochanowski guided Poland to claim the VNL 2025 championship. This marked his third consecutive selection to the VNL Dream Team, a feat he also achieved in 2023 and 2024. Significantly, this year also saw the skilled middle blocker bestowed with the MVP award.
Despite featuring in only the final seven matches of the tournament en route to the title, Kochanowski`s contributions were immense. Beyond his leadership presence, he amassed 55 points, comprising 14 kill blocks and 5 aces. Offensively, “Kuba” maintained an outstanding 69% success rate throughout his appearances. His pivotal role was evident in Poland`s dominant victory over Italy in Sunday`s gold medal match, where he delivered a remarkable performance with a 71% attack success rate and two crucial kill blocks, totaling seven points.
“We progressed from one win to the next, improving our performance in every single match,” Jakub Kochanowski shared with Polsat Sport following Sunday`s final. He added, “Raising the trophy as a stand-in captain is an incredible feeling, as this team truly earned it. From our match against France in Gdansk leading up to these Finals, we continually improved with each game, building our confidence. Our play today was so exceptional that I believe no previous champions deserved this trophy as much as we did this time.”
Standing at 1.99 meters, Kochanowski becomes the third Polish volleyball player to be honored with the VNL MVP award. Previously, in 2021, opposite hitter Bartosz Kurek was a co-recipient alongside Brazilian icon Wallace de Souza. Two years later, in 2023, libero Pawel Zatorski earned the MVP title during Poland`s inaugural VNL championship win.
Since 2019, Poland has consistently reached the VNL podium for six consecutive editions, with Kochanowski contributing to each of these successes, accumulating two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals. His impressive career also boasts a gold medal from the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men`s World Championship, a silver in 2022, and an Olympic silver from the Paris Games last year, where he was also named to the Dream Team. He was also a member of the Polish teams that secured silver at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men`s World Cup and gold at the 2023 CEV Men`s Volleyball European Championship. Furthermore, the talented “Kuba” was a two-time world champion with Poland`s U19 and U21 national teams in 2015 and 2017, earning the MVP award for the latter achievement.
Kochanowski`s club career has been equally distinguished. He has consistently played for Polish clubs throughout his career, demonstrating loyalty to his home country. Currently, he is a key player for PGE Projekt Warsaw, who secured bronze in the 2025 PlusLiga. In 2021, he triumphed in the CEV Champions League with Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, also earning a spot on the Dream Team for Europe`s most prestigious club tournament. In 2024, while representing Asseco Resovia Rzeszow, Kochanowski also claimed the CEV Cup.
Finley Blackwood 
Oliver Wrenwick