The Polish men's national volleyball team is preparing at the training base in Spala before the start of the World Championship, which will take place from September 12 in the Philippines - the first time this country has hosted the championship in its history.
After winning gold in the Nations League, Nikola Grbic's proteges will aim for a new top title - the world crown. The Poles will participate as silver medalists from the 2022 World Championship, but the squad this time looks significantly revamped.
The squad has already been reduced
On Saturday, the Polish Volleyball Federation announced that the group of 18 players had been narrowed down to 16. Head coach Nikola Grbic opted not to use Bartłomiej Bołądź and Mateusz Poręba.
"I thank Bartek and Mateusz for the months of working together. I highly value their contribution and commitment in the first part of the season, which resulted in the gold medal from the Volleyball Nations League," Grbic commented.
Both players remain available in case of potential injuries in the main group.
Good news for Kurek and Huber
The most important news for Poland is the return of captain Bartosz Kurek and middle blocker Norbert Huber, who missed part of the preparation due to injuries but are now training fully. Young libero Maksymilian Granieczny also remains in the camp, despite recently having health issues.
Current Poland squad
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Marcin Komenda, Jan Firlej |
| Opposite hitters | Bartosz Kurek, Kevin Sasak |
| Outside hitters | Wilfredo Leon, Tomasz Fornal, Kamil Semeniuk, Bartosz Bednorz, Artur Szalpuk |
| Middle blockers | Jakub Kochanowski, Norbert Huber, Szymon Jakubiszak, Jakub Nowak |
| Liberos | Jakub Popiwczak, Mateusz Czunkiewicz, Maksymilian Granieczny |
Poland has a rich group of outside hitters - five players, which provides great rotational flexibility. In the middle, Huber's return is seen, which stabilizes the block. In attack, the Kurek-Sasak combination guarantees high efficiency, especially with the support of Leon and Semeniuk on reception. Questions remain about Kurek's form after the break and whether libero Granieczny will be fully recovered.
collage: volleyweek
