Poland concluded their preparation for EuroVolley 2026 with a victory, but the no less important news for Nikola Grbić came from the return of Bartłomiej Lemański. The middle blocker was back on the court after the ankle injury he sustained during the Hubert Wagner Memorial and started as a starter in the last friendly match before the European Championship.
The Poles defeated Finland 3:0 (25:21, 28:26, 25:19) in Ergo Arena in Gdańsk, and then also won the pre-arranged additional set 25:21.
Lemański finished the match with 5 points. His appearance on the court is particularly good news for Poland just days before the start of EuroVolley. The middle blocker injured his ankle in the very first set against Slovenia at the Wagner Memorial and did not play in the remaining matches of the tournament. Against Finland, however, Grbić put him directly back in the starting lineup.
The developments around Lemański are also of interest to Bulgaria. Poland is in our group at EuroVolley, and the two teams will meet in the last round of the group stage in Sofia.
The match itself against Finland was not as easy for the Poles as the final 3:0 suggests. The visitors put up serious resistance in the first two sets.
In the first set, Finland led 10:7, but the strong Polish block helped the hosts quickly equalize at 11:11. At 18:18, everything was still open before Poland made the decisive move and closed the set 25:21.
An even more serious test came in the second part. The Poles took a 3:0 lead, but the Finns not only came back but at the end were the first to reach set point. At 24:25, the hosts were under pressure, but managed to turn the tide. Tomasz Fornal played an important role in the final rallies, and a block ended the set at 28:26.
Only in the third set did Poland assert its categorical superiority. Fornal started with an ace, the hosts took a 4:0 lead, and the difference gradually increased to 12:5. Finland no longer found an answer, and the Poles calmly reached 25:19 and the final 3:0.
After the official end, both staffs fulfilled the preliminary agreement for another set. Grbić continued with rotations, and Poland won it 25:21.
Bartosz Bolondz was the top scorer for the winners in the official three sets with 12 points. Aleksander Śliwka added 9, Tomasz Fornal – 8, Jakub Majchrzak – 7, and the returning Lemański recorded 5. For Finland, Joonas Jokela scored 11 points, and Antti Savonsalmi – 10.
Thus, Poland successfully completed their last test before EuroVolley. Previously, Nikola Grbić's team won the Hubert Wagner Memorial with three consecutive victories – 3:2 against Slovenia, 3:1 against USA, and 3:1 against France.
The reigning European champion will play in Sofia in a group with Bulgaria, Ukraine, Portugal, Israel, and North Macedonia. Bulgaria and Poland will meet in the last round, when both teams will already have four matches behind them, and the match could prove decisive for the final standings in the group.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
