The Polish women's national team continues its impressive performance in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League. Stefano Lavarini's squad recorded its third consecutive victory after overcoming Serbia 3:2 (22:25, 25:22, 22:25, 25:23, 17:15) in one of the most dramatic matches since the start of the tournament.
The success not only brought new points in the Nations League standings but also elevated the Poles to third place in the FIVB world ranking.
Three wins from three matches for the "White-Reds"
Poland started the tournament with a difficult 3:2 (25:22, 23:25, 25:22, 22:25, 15:12) victory over Belgium, and a day later decisively dealt with debutant Ukraine
– 3:0 (25:17, 25:20, 25:17).
The third match proved to be the toughest test for Lavarini's squad. The Serbians, who are still without their big stars Tijana Bošković and Maja Ognjenović, showed significantly better play compared to their previous appearances and took the lead twice.
Poland, however, showed character and managed to equalize after the third set, before snatching victory in a dramatic tie-break.
Serbia missed two opportunities for victory
The decisive fifth set offered true volleyball drama. The Serbians had two chances to close out the match but failed to capitalize, while the Poles showed stronger nerves in the most crucial rallies.
After the match, Serbia's coach Zoran Terzić remained satisfied with his team's reaction despite the defeat.
"Poland is the third team in the world ranking and was logically the favorite. Today, however, was a different match. We played with much more motivation and with a slightly different lineup. There were both good and bad moments, as always happens in such a long match," stated Terzić.
The specialist emphasized that he was most impressed by the courage of the young squad in key moments.
"I am pleased that we did not show fear when the sets were being decided. This is the most important thing for this team. With the return of Bošković and Ognjenović, we will gain even more experience and composure. We only need self-confidence
– we have everything else," added the Serbian coach.
The Netherlands opened the path to the world podium
In addition to their own victory over Serbia, the Poles also received an unexpected bonus in the battle for top positions in the world ranking.
The Netherlands defeated European champion Turkey 3:0, completely dominating the match. The loss cost the Turkish team valuable points in the FIVB ranking, which allowed Poland to climb to third place in the world.
Thus, the victory over Serbia, combined with the Netherlands' win over Turkey, temporarily propelled Lavarini's team to the podium of world volleyball.
