Poland`s women`s national volleyball team achieved a significant milestone on Sunday, securing their third consecutive bronze medal in the Volleyball Nations League. This year`s triumph felt particularly special as it unfolded before an ecstatic home crowd in Łódź, the designated host city for the 2025 VNL Finals.
Returning to the Atlas Arena a day after a tough semifinal loss to Olympic champions Italy, the Polish squad demonstrated remarkable resilience by overcoming Japan with a dominant 3-1 victory (25-15, 24-26, 25-16, 25-23). This decisive win further cemented their reputation as a formidable force in the tournament. The gold medal match, contested between Italy and Brazil, was scheduled for 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT).
With this bronze medal win in front of 10,000 cheering fans in Łódź, Poland joins an elite group of six national teams to have earned three medals across the first seven editions of the VNL. This exclusive club includes powerhouses like Brazil (silver in 2019, 2021, 2022, and contenders for gold/silver in 2025), Italy (gold in 2022, 2024, and contenders for gold/silver in 2025), the United States (gold in 2018, 2019, 2021), Türkiye (gold in 2023, silver in 2018, bronze in 2021), and China (silver in 2023, bronze in 2018, 2019).
Head coach Stefano Lavarini expressed his delight, stating, “Winning a medal here in Łódź is fantastic for us, and the emotions are overwhelming right now. Since I began coaching Poland, we’ve played here every year, and the atmosphere has consistently been incredible, just like this week. I am incredibly happy that we could thank our fans with a medal this time.”
Star opposite Magdalena Stysiak was the offensive powerhouse for Poland in the bronze medal match, leading all scorers with 18 points, comprising 16 kills and two blocks. Team captain and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk also delivered an outstanding performance, contributing 16 points through an impressive eight blocks and eight kills. Outside hitters Martyna Czyrńianska and Martyna Łukasic also reached double-digit scoring, with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Libero Aleksandra Szczygłowska reflected on the team`s recovery: “We didn’t play the way we wanted in the last match, and that was truly difficult for us, so we were even more focused today. I’m genuinely happy that we managed to overcome that situation and secure the win. We also did it for our fans; playing in front of them is an indescribable experience. We’ll celebrate now, but we understand there’s still much work ahead and many areas where we can improve.”
In the match statistics, Poland and Japan were tied in kills (52) and aces (two). However, the European side showcased clear dominance in blocking (15 to two) and capitalized on more opponent errors (30 to 24) to secure their victory.
For Japan, veteran middle blocker Haruyo Shimamura was their top scorer in the bronze medal match, tallying 15 points (13 kills, two blocks). Team captain and outside hitter Mayu Ishikawa followed with 12 points, all from kills.
Both Polish and Japanese teams will now resume training to continue their preparations for the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship, scheduled to take place in Thailand from August 22 to September 7.
Finley Blackwood