The Polish women's national team suffered their first defeat during the second week of the Nations League and their second since the start of the tournament, after losing to Canada 2:3 (23:25, 25:21, 16:25, 25:11, 13:15). The match was the fourth one of the day to reach a tie-break, and the outcome came after more than two hours of contested battle.
Stefano Lavarini's proteges started better and took a 3:1 lead after successful plays by middle blockers Natalia Kecher and Maja Koput. However, the Canadians quickly equalized, and Kira Van Ryk's strong serving streak gave them a 7:4 advantage. The Poles experienced serious difficulties in attack after good reception, while their opponents utilized their counter-attacks excellently. Despite saving three set points, the Poles lost the first set 23:25.
In the second set, Poland found their rhythm. Monika Lampkowska and Maja Koput led the team in attack, and after a successful block against Van Ryk, the lead grew to 9:6. The Canadians reduced their deficit at the end, but Magdalena Stysiak scored the decisive point for a 25:21 win.
The third set started evenly again, but after the middle, Canada imposed serious superiority. Andrea Mitrovic and Van Ryk were unstoppable in attack, and Poland's problems in block and defense organization allowed the North Americans to pull away and win convincingly 25:16.
The Polish team's reaction was impressive. In the fourth set, Poland took a 7:1 lead early on, and successful blocks by Lampkowska and Jurczyk increased the difference. After a double substitution and stable play from Julia Szczurowska and Alicja Grabka, the Polish squad completely dominated and equalized the score after an emphatic 25:11.
The tie-break went point for point until 5:5, after which Canada managed to pull away thanks to strong performances by Alexa Gray. Poland equalized at 13:13 after a successful block, but in the decisive moments, the Canadians showed stronger nerves. Emily Maglio ended the match with a direct service point for the final 15:13.
The top scorer for the winners was Kira Van Ryk with 26 points, and Emily Maglio added 13. For Poland, Monika Lampkowska and Paulina Damaske finished with 18 points each.
Statistics show how evenly matched the game was. Canada had a minimal advantage in attack (58:55), block (17:14), and from serve (6:4), which proved decisive in the key moments of the match. On the other hand, Poland was better in defense with 98 digs against 78 for the opponent and allowed the Canadians to score a total of 29 points after their own errors.
After eight matches played, Poland remains in third place in the provisional Nations League standings with 6 wins, 2 losses, and 17 points, while Canada climbed to sixth position with a record of 5 wins, 3 defeats, and 15 points.
The success brought a serious bonus for Canada in the FIVB World Ranking. The Canadians gained 10.77 points and climbed one spot to 10th position in the world with a total of 257.13 points. Poland lost the same number of points and dropped two spots, now occupying 5th place with 347.95 points. Despite the defeat, the Poles continue to be the highest-ranked European team in the standings, while Canada solidified their presence among the top ten teams on the planet.

photo:volleyballworld.com