Poland secured a crucial win ahead of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League Final Round, which will be hosted in Gdańsk.
The world’s No. 1 one team defeated Japan in a resounding sweep with scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-18 on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, marking Japan’s second consecutive defeat.
Both teams, with identical win-loss records of 10-2, now await the outcome of the United States versus Bulgaria match to determine their seeding in the quarterfinals.
Wilfredo Leon was the standout performer, contributing 16 points with 10 attacks, three blocks, and three service aces.
Team captain Aleksander Śliwka expressed his satisfaction with their performance, stating, “It was an important win for us to secure our position in third place. I can’t say that a higher standing guarantees an easier opponent, as we were likely to face Brazil.
“However, we don’t focus on who we play against; we just step onto the court and strive to win. That’s what we did today,” added the 28-year-old outside hitter from ZAKSA.
The Polish team, who won bronze in the previous year’s edition, relied on their aggressive serving and capitalized on Japan’s unusually weak reception in the first two sets.
Leon’s exceptional performance limited Japan’s ace player, Yuji Nishida, while Lukasz Kaczmarek took care of the other side.
Kaczmarek dominated Tatsunori Otsuka’s position, helping Poland secure victory in the first two sets.
Despite some strong rallies initiated by Japanese setter Motoko Eiro, who connected with Nishida and Otsuka through solid receptions, it was not enough.
Poland’s veteran playmaker, Marcin Janusz, had more productive options on the counterattack to seal the game.
Kaczmarek and Śliwka also contributed double-digit points with 11 and 10, respectively, but Janusz’s solid setting throughout the match, with a 23 percent success rate, played a crucial role.
Otsuka, the only remaining starter who completed the match, finished with 11 attack points, while Nishida added nine before being substituted in the third set.
