The Poland national men's volleyball team is controlled by the Polish Volleyball Federation, which represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. Poland is one of the world's strongest teams, they are ranked first in the
FIVB world ranking
The FIVB Senior World Rankings is a ranking system for men's and women's national teams in volleyball. The teams of the member nations of Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), volleyball's world governing body, are ranked based on thei ...
as of 11 September 2022.
History
Poland achieved some of its best results in the 1970s, with gold medals at 1974 World Championship and the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. They also won five consecutive silver medals at the European Championship, between 1975 and 1983.
2005–2008 Raúl Lozano
2005
On 17 January 2005 Raúl Lozano was chosen as coach.
On 27 May 2005 he debuted as the coach in official match against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, Argentina) and achieved promotion to final round in Serbia and Montenegro. They lost just 2 matches with Serbia and Montenegro (2–3, 2–3) and Greece (1–3).
2006
In 2006 polish team won silver medal at
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. In final they lost against
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
2009–2010 Daniel Castellani
2009
On 17 January 2009, Daniel Castellani, who had previously led PGE Skra Bełchatów, was announced as the new head coach. In June 2009 Polish team played in Pool D of intercontinental round of the World League 2009. They won 5 of 12 matches, but lost all 4 matches with
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and 3 meetings with
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. Poland took 11th place in general classification.
On 3 September 2009, Poland played its first match in preliminary round Pool A of the European Championship 2009 held in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. Polish players beat
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in opening match 3–1. Then won with
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(3–1) and hosts – Turkey (3–0). Poland took first place in Pool A and went to play-off round, where in Pool F beat European Champion 2007 –
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
(3–2) and won two another meetings with
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
(3–2) and Greece (3–0). They reached the first place in the group and Poland advanced to the final round. In semi-final played against
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and won 3–0. In final they met with France once again. This two teams opened and closed European Championship 2009. On 13 September 2009 Poland won a title of the European Champion first time in history. 2 of 8 individual award were achieved by Polish players.
Paweł Zagumny
Paweł Zagumny (born 18 October 1977) is a Polish former professional volleyball player. He was a member of the Poland national team in 1996–2014. A participant at the Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012), the ...
was the ''Best Setter'' and ''Most Valuable Player'' was awarded the captain and opposite hitter of Polish national team –
Piotr Gruszka
Piotr Łukasz Gruszka (born 8 March 1977) is a Polish professional volleyball coach and former player. He was a member of the Poland national team from 1995 to 2011. A participant in the Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), a ...
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. Poland took 4th place.
Polish men's national volleyball team was elected the best team of 2009 in ''75th Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego 2009'' in Poland and
Piotr Gruszka
Piotr Łukasz Gruszka (born 8 March 1977) is a Polish professional volleyball coach and former player. He was a member of the Poland national team from 1995 to 2011. A participant in the Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), a ...
was 3rd in the ''Top 10 of Polish Athlets'' in the same competition.
2010
Polish national team started season with intercontinental round of the World League 2010. At the beginning they lost twice with German team (1–3 and 0–3) in Stuttgart. Then on 11–12 June beat hosts of final round – Argentina (3–1 and 3–2) in San Juan. On 18–19 June played with
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. Poland lost first match 2–3, but next day beat opponent 3–0. The remaining 6 matches Polish national team played in Poland. On 25–26 June, Poland beat Argentina (3–1 and 3–1) in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
. They moved to
Atlas Arena
Atlas Arena - lodz.gazeta.pl - 25-08-2009 is a multipurpose
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...
, where they lost both matches with Cuba (0–3 and 1–3). Matches with Germany on 8–9 July ended Polish participated in the World League. Poland lost 2–3 and won the next day 3–1 at
Spodek
Spodek (meaning "saucer" in Polish language, Polish) is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened on 9 May 1971. Aside from the main dome, the complex includes a gym, an ice rink, a hotel and three large car parks. It was the large ...
in
Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
.
On 25 September 2010, players of Polish national team played their first match at the World Championship 2010. They won all 3 matches in Pool F (first round) with
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
(3–0), Germany (3–2) and Serbia (3–1), which were held in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
, Italy. In second round Poland lost their both matches with Brazil (0–3) and Bulgaria (0–3). Poland ended Championships in place 13–18.
On 25 October 2010 after the vote of the board of Polish Volleyball Federation, Castellani was fired.
2011–2013 Andrea Anastasi
2011
After lacklustre previous year the head coach and a number of players were replaced.
Andrea Anastasi
Andrea Anastasi (born 8 October 1960) is an Italian professional volleyball coach and former player. He was a member of the Italy national team from 1981 to 1991. The 1990 World Champion, 1989 European Champion, and a two–time World League ...
began work as head coach on 23 February 2011, when Poland was ranked 11th in the FIVB ranking. His assistant was
Andrea Gardini
Andrea Gardini (born 1 October 1965) is an Italian professional volleyball coach and former player, a silver (Atlanta 1996) and bronze (Sydney 2000) Olympic Games medallist, three–time World Champion (1990, 1994, 1998), and four–time Europea ...
.
They started season without an important players like Zagumny, Winiarski or Wlazły. The team started with the World League 2011. Poland as host was in final tournament, which was held at
Ergo Arena
Ergo Arena (Hala Gdańsk-Sopot) is a multi-purpose indoor arena, that was opened in 2010. The boundary between two cities – Sopot and Gdańsk – runs through the very middle of the hall. The arena has a capacity of 11,409 people, for sports ...
in
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
. During a first match against Bulgaria, an opposite hitter –
Zbigniew Bartman
Zbigniew Andrzej Bartman (born 4 May 1987) is a Polish volleyball player, member of the Poland men's national volleyball team in 2008–2013, participant at the 2012 Olympic Games, 2009 European Champion, 2012 World League winner, silver medali ...
injured. Despite this Poland won after tie-break. Then Poland lost with Italy (0–3) and beat Argentina in five sets. They went to the semi-final, but lost the match against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(1–3). On 10 July 2011 Poland won first medal of the World League in history. Polish achieved individual awards –
Bartosz Kurek
Bartosz Kamil Kurek (born 29 August 1988) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He is a member of the Poland national team, a participant in the Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), 2018 World Champion, 2009 European Champ ...
was the ''Best Scorer'' and Krzysztof Ignaczak the ''Best Libero''.
In the same year the Polish national team wanted to defend a title of European Champion from 2009. The team, without injured Zbigniew Bartman, won in playoff round with
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and went to quarterfinals. In
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...
beat Slovakia (3–0). Then they moved to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and lost the match against Italy (0–3). Poles again played the 3rd place match. On 18 September 2011 they beat the winners of World League 2011 – Russia (3–1) and achieved their second bronze in 2011. In addition, individual award for ''Best Server'' received Bartosz Kurek.
In November was the first chance to qualify for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. At FIVB World Cup 2011 won 9 of 11 matches. They lost with Iran (2–3), Brazil (2–3) and Russia (2–3). Polish national team won promotion to the Olympics on 3 December 2011, when they won first two sets against Brazil (this one point gave them place on the podium). In conclusion Poland won the silver medal, and repeated the success of the FIVB World Cup 1965, where Poland achieve silver too. For the first time in the history Polish national team won three medals in one year. One of individual awards received middle-blocker Marcin Możdżonek, who was ''Best Blocker''.
Polish men's national volleyball team was elected the best team of 2011 in ''77th Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego 2011'' in Poland and Bartosz Kurek was 2nd in the ''Top 10 of Polish Athlets'' in the same competition.
2012
The main purpose for the team were Olympics, but earlier they participated in FIVB World League 2012. They won 10 of 12 matches of intercontinental round, including 3 times won with Brazil, which was successful after many years of defeats. Poland advanced to Final Six, which was held in
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, Bulgaria. Polish team was in Pool F with Cuba and Brazil. They won both their group matches and went to the semi-final. They beat the host – Bulgaria and for the first time in history had a chance to play in final of World League. On 8 July 2012 won the final match against
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(3–0). It was a second medal of World League for Polish team and the first gold. Polish players received 4 of 8 individual awards. ''Best Spiker'' was Zbigniew Bartman, ''Best Blocker'' – Marcin Możdżonek, ''Best Libero'' – Krzysztof Ignaczak and ''Most Valuable Player'' – Bartosz Kurek.
On 29 July 2012 the team played their first Pool A match at the 20123 London Summer Olympics against Italy (3–1). Polish national team won 3 of 5 pool matches, but lost with Bulgaria and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. They went to quarterfinal, but lost it after 3–1 match against future Olympic Champions – Russia. Despite the defeat, Krzysztof Ignaczak was the ''Best Receiver'' of the 2012 Summer Olympics (four years earlier, the same award received another Polish player – Michał Winiarski).
Poland had the success and failure of this season, but despite this they were elected the best team of 2012 in ''78th Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego 2012'' in Poland.
2013
The team started season on 24 May 2013 when they played friendly match with Serbia (3–0) in
Milicz
Milicz (german: Militsch) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Milicz County and of Gmina Milicz, part of the larger Wrocław metropolitan area.
Geography
The town is situated in the historic Lower ...
. Next day, on 25 May the two national teams played their second match in
Twardogóra
Twardogóra (pronounced , german: Festenberg) is a historic town in Oleśnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district ( gmina) called Gmina Twardogóra. It lies approximately no ...
, which was won by guests (1–3).
Poland began its participation in the World League 2013 losing their first four matches. They lost twice with Brazil at
Torwar Hall
The Central Sports Centre Torwar (formerly known as Hala Torwar, commonly referred to as the Arena COS Torwar) is an indoor arena in Warsaw, Poland. It opened in 1953 and seats 4,824 people in the stands, with up to an additional 1,480 seats avai ...
on 7 June (1–3) and after tie-brak at Atlas Arena on 9 June. Then Polish players lost next two aligned matches on 21 and 23 June against France, which have been resolved after tie-breaks. On 28 June 2013 Polish team played their first match with Argentine team (3–2) at Łuczniczka,
Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
and two days later their second meeting (3–1) at Ergo Arena in Gdańsk. The heroes of winning matches with Argentine players were Jarosz and Kurek. On 5 and 7 July, Polish national team beat United States team (3–2) at Spodek, Katowice and (3–1) at
Centennial Hall Centennial Hall (german: Jahrhunderthalle) may refer to:
in Canada
* Centennial Hall (London, Ontario), London, Ontario, Canada
* Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
* Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium, former name of TCU Place
in ...
in Wrocław, after great game of Jakub Jarosz. Poland didn't continue their series of victories. On 12 July 2013 lost (0–3) match against Bulgaria and one day later lost dramatic match after tie-break despite the determination of the whole team. Unstoppable was the main scorer of Bulgaria –
Tsvetan Sokolov
Tsvetan Sokolov ( bg, Цветан Соколов; born 31 December 1989) is a Bulgarian professional volleyball player, a member of the Bulgarian national team and Russian club Dynamo Moscow, a participant at the Olympic Games London 2012. Sok ...
. At
Palace of Culture and Sports
Palace of Culture and Sports ( bg, Дворец на културата и спорта) is an indoor complex for culture and sport located in Varna, Bulgaria. The complex has three sports halls - "Kongresna Hall", "Mladost Hall ...
,
Varna
Varna may refer to:
Places Europe
*Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria
**Varna Province
**Varna Municipality
** Gulf of Varna
**Lake Varna
**Varna Necropolis
*Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy
*Varniai, a city in Lithuania
* Varna (Šaba ...
lost their last two matches of intercontinental round and ended their game in World League 2013.
In October 2013 Andrea Anastasi was fired as coach of the Polish national team. The reason for this decision were unsuccessful Polish losses in 2013 and getting worse team game. Poland, while working of Andrea Anastasi, took 3rd place in the FIVB World Rankings. It was promotion from 11th place in early 2011. Anastasi has announced that he won't be coach of any national team at the World Championship 2014 held in Poland because of respect for his former players. He decided to stay in Poland and has been working with Polish club
Lotos Trefl Gdańsk Lotos may refer to:
* Grupa Lotos, oil company
* Lotos Kolej, railway company
* LOTOS Goldbrillen GmbH, a German luxury eyewear company founded in 1872
* Lotos (satellite), a Russian family of electronic intelligence satellites
* Language Of Te ...
.
2014–2016 Stéphane Antiga
2014
On 24 October 2013, was announced new head coach
Stéphane Antiga
Stéphane Antiga (born 3 February 1976) is French professional volleyball coach and former player. He was a member of the France national team from 1998 to 2010, and a participant in the Olympic Games Athens 2004. The current head coach of Devel ...
. He began his work after the end of the league season 2013/2014, because he played for PGE Skra Bełchatów and he had to complete his career as a player. His first tournament as Poland's head coach was the CEV European Championship 2015 qualification. Poland won 5 out of their 6 matches, beating Macedonia and
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
twice each and
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
once. The Polish national team qualified for the CEV European Championship 2015.
After this, the team took part in the FIVB World League 2014. They won 6 of 12 matches in the intercontinental round, but didn't qualify for the Final Six. They lacked one set against Brazil for a place in the final tournament. The team went on to make preparations at training camps in Belchatów,
Capbreton
Capbreton (; oc, Capberton) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Located at the mouth of the Boudigau and Bourret rivers, the town is situated about 40 km north of Biarritz.
The town is a ...
(France) and
Spała Spała is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Inowłódz, within Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies on the Pilica River, approximately west of Inowłódz, east of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and ...
before the World Championship 2014. On 16–18 August 2014 the 12th Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner was held at Kraków Arena, Kraków. On the first day, after losing a match with Bulgaria (2–3), coach Antiga announced the list of players who would represent the Polish national team at the World Championship 2014. He eliminated one of the major players of previous years: Bartosz Kurek. In the following matches of tournament Mariusz Wlazły was unable to play because of a sprained ankle. Despite this, Poland defeated
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and for the first time since 2011, beat Russia. The Polish team took 2nd place and two of the Polish players received individual awards:
Piotr Nowakowski
Piotr Nowakowski (born 18 December 1987) is a Polish professional volleyball player, a former member of the Poland men's national volleyball team, Poland national team. A participant in the Olympic Games (2012 Summer Olympics, London 2012, 2016 S ...
as ''Best Server'' and Krzysztof Ignaczak as ''Best Libero''.
On 30 August 2014, Poland played their historic match at the
National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
against Serbia as opening meeting of the 2014 World Championship. It was the opening match of the World Championship 2014 in Poland. Polish team won 3–0 and with attendance over 62,000 audience. In their first group, Pool A, Poland won all 5 matches and lost just one set with
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. In their second group, Pool F, the host team won 3 of their 4 matches. On 10 September 2014, they lost to the United States (1–3), but then beat the national teams of Italy (3–1), Iran (3–2) and France (3–2). Poland took second place in Group F. The breakdown in the next stage of the tournament was decided by drawing lots. Poland went into group H with Brazil and Russia. Some commentators and fans called Pool H the "Group of Death", but it was a happy result for the home team. The Polish national team won two dramatic matches after tie-breaks at Atlas Arena in Łódź. On 16 September 2014 they beat Brazil. Poland's main scorer in the match was Mariusz Wlazły, who gained 31 points for his team. Two days later, Poland needed just two winning sets for promotion to the semi-final. Poland beat Russia and took first place in the group. On 21 September 2014 the Polish team won the semi-final match against Germany, which guaranteed for Poland their third ever medal at the
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. On 21 September 2014 Poland won the title of World Champion 2014, for the first time in 40 years. Poland beat Brazil (3–1). Polish players received 3 of 8 the individual awards in the tournament:
Karol Kłos
Karol Kłos (born 8 August 1989) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He is a member of the Poland national team, a participant in the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and the 2014 World Champion. At the professional club level, he plays for PGE ...
as ''Best Blocker'', Mariusz Wlazły as ''Best Opposite'' and ''Most Valuable Player''. After victory Poland have risen two places in FIVB ranking and has been taken 3rd place.
It was announced that in 2015, the Polish national team will take part in the World League, European Championship (Bulgaria/Italy),
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
(Japan), and the first edition of the
European Games
The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic Games, Olympic tradition contested by sportsperson, athletes from European nations and several European Olympic Committees#Notes, transcontinental countries. The Games were ...
, which will be held in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
, Azerbaijan.
Historic result at World Championship brought the team their next title of the ''Best Team of 2014'' in
Plebiscite of Przegląd Sportowy
The Polish Sports Personality of the Year ( Polish: ''Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego na najlepszego polskiego sportowca roku'') is chosen annually since 1926 by the readers of the newspaper '' Przegląd Sportowy'', which makes it the second oldes ...
2014 in Poland. Head coach Stephane Antiga was awarded a title of the ''Coach of the year 2014'' ex-aequo with Łukasz Kruczek. A title of ''Debutant of the year 2014'' was awarded Mateusz Mika. Mariusz Wlazły was 2nd in the ''Top 10 of Polish Athlets'' in the same competition.
2015
Head coach Stephane Antiga appointed players to the Polish national team on 2 April 2015. The new chosen captain of the team was Karol Kłos, who replaced a previous one – Michał Winiarski. During the matches of intercontinental round of World League, the captain of Polish team was
Michał Kubiak
Michał Jarosław Kubiak (born 23 February 1988) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He was a member of the Poland national team from 2011 to 2021. A participant in the Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), two–time World ...
, because of Kłos' injury.
They began season with intercontinental round of World League 2015. First match with Russia, Poland won 3–0. ''Most Valuable Player'' of match was
Mateusz Bieniek
Mateusz Bieniek (born 5 April 1994) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He is a member of the Poland national team, a participant in the Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), and the 2018 World Champion. At the professional club level, ...
, who played his first match in senior national team. After break to national team returned a few players – Bartosz Kurek, Jakub Jarosz,
Grzegorz Łomacz
Grzegorz Łomacz (born 1 October 1987) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He is a member of the Poland national team, a participant in the Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), and the 2018 World Champion. At the professional club leve ...
,
Piotr Gacek
Piotr Marcin Gacek (born 16 September 1978) is a former Polish volleyball player, member of the Poland men's national volleyball team in 2005–2010 and 2015–2016, 2009 European Champion, silver medallist of the 2006 World Championship, two ...
, Wojciech Grzyb. Next day, Poland beat Russia in five-set match (3–2). ''Most Valuable Player'' of match was Bartosz Kurek (23 pts). On 5 June 2015 Poland beat Iran (3–1). Bartosz Kurek scored 30 pts and he was ''Most Valuable Player'' of match. Next day, Poland won another meeting with Iran (3–2) and MVP was chosen Michał Kubiak. On 12 June 2015 Poland lost first match with United States (3–2) after almost 3 hours meeting. It was first lost match of Poland since 10 September 2014, when they lost with U.S. national team at World Championship. Next day, Poland also lost with American players (3–1). After spending one week in United States, Poland moved to Russian ground –
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
, where won two matches against Russia (3–1) and (3–2). Then they flew to
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
. After a spectacular meeting, Poland lost first match on 26 June (3–2). Two days later, Polish national team beat Iran (3–1). Polish team spent three weeks in tour and they came back to Poland on last matches of intercontinental round with United States. On 3 July 2015 Poland beat
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in tie-break and achieved two points, which gave Polish team a qualification to final round of World League 2015 in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. Next day, they lost match (1–3). Poland qualified for the Pool J with Serbia and Italy. On 17 July Poland won match over Italy (3–1) and qualified to semi-final. Main leader in this important meeting was Michał Kubiak, who scored 19 pts. Next day, Serbia won over Poland (2–3), but Polish team gained 1 pt and took first place in Pool J. On 18 July, Poland lost semi-final with France (2–3). On 19 July Poland did not achieve bronze, because of lost with USA (0–3). Polish team had problems with own errors. Poland took 4th place in edition of the World League 2015. Polish players achieved two individual awards – Michał Kubiak was one of the ''Best Outside Spiker'' and
Paweł Zatorski
Paweł Zatorski (born 21 June 1990) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He is a member of the Poland national team, a participant in the Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), two–time World Champion (2014, 2018), 2012 World League win ...
was ''Best Libero''. In 2–9 August all players, whose were in final round in Rio de Janeiro went to training camp in
Arłamów
Arłamów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ustrzyki Dolne, within Bieszczady County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a coun ...
Toruń
)''
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg
, image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg
, nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town
, pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...
. First day, they beat Japan (3–0). In the following days Poland beat Iran (3–1) and France (3–2). Poland won 2015 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner for sixth time and Polish players achieved five individual awards – ''Best Spiker'' was Dawid Konarski, ''Best Server'' was Mateusz Bieniek, ''Best Blocker'' was Piotr Nowakowski, ''Best Libero'' was Paweł Zatorski and ''Most Valuable Player'' was a captain Michał Kubiak.
Polish players started their visit in Japan from training camp in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
and then they went to Hammamatsu, where they are playing their first round matches. Poland started a journey at World Cup 2015 on 8 September, when they beat
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
(3–0). In following day, Polish players beat Russia (3–1) and in both matches Most Valuable Player of match was chosen Bartosz Kurek. During third set of the meeting with Russia, Polish setter Grzegorz Łomacz twisted his ankle. On 10 September 2015 Poland contained their winning with Argentina (3–1) and MVP was Michał Kubiak. On 12 September, Polish team beat Iran (3–2) and best player on the court was chosen Mateusz Mika. On 13 September Poland played their last match in first round in Hamamatsu with
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
(3–1). MVP of match was Dawid Konarski, who scored 22 points. Poland won all five matches in first round of World Cup 2015, but lost one point in overall table. In second round Poland beat Canada (3–1), Egypt (3–0), and Australia (3–0). After eight victories without any defeat, Poland moved to Tokyo. On 21 September 2015, two previously undefeated teams met in first match of third round. Poland beat United States (3–1) and Polish captain Michał Kubiak played his best match in World Cup. Then Poland won match with host team Japan, but they had problems with them in first set (3–1). Poland won 10 of 10 matches and the last day on 23 September met with Italy. They lost 3–1 and they did not achieve one point so Poland took 3rd place in tournament, which did not give Poland a qualification to
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
. Poland won 10 of 11 matches, but because of points and ratio of set, achieved only bronze medal without Olympic qualification.
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, lost one with Germany (2–3). In semi-final Poland lost with France (0–3) and lost chance to qualify to Olympics. On 10 January 2016 Poland won 3rd place match with Germany (3–2). Poland was qualified to World Olympic Qualification Tournament and keep chance to gain qualification to
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
.
On 28 May 2016, Poland started the battle in World Olympic Qualification Tournament. After 5 victories in first 5 matches (with Canada 3–2, France 3–2, Japan 3–0, China 3–2, Venezuela 3–0 and Iran 1–3) Poland achieved qualification to 2016 Rio Summer Olympics on 2 June 2016.
Poland beat 4 of 5 opponents in group stage at
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
(lost only to Russia after tie break). They took second place in Groub B and were qualified to quarterfinals. In due of draw, Poland met in next stage of Olympics with USA. On 17 August 2016 Americans beat Polish players (0–3) and Poland took 5th place – fourth Olympics with the same result in a row.
2017: Ferdinando De Giorgi
The contract of Stephane Antiga lasted to the end of December 2016, and the Federation decided not to renew it. In October 2016, Polish Volleyball Federation decided to choose a new head coach of Poland. There were three main candidates: Radostin Stoychev,
Mauro Berruto
Mauro Berruto (born 8 May 1969) is an Italian volleyball head coach.
Career as coach
Born in Turin, Berruto graduated in philosophy and started his career in volley with CUS Torino Pallavolo in 1994. In 2001 he was engaged by Copra Piacenza, whi ...
and
Ferdinando De Giorgi
Ferdinando De Giorgi (born 10 October 1961) is an Italian professional volleyball coach and former player, a participant in the Olympic Games Seoul 1988, three–time World Champion (1990, 1994, 1998), and the 1989 European Champion. He curren ...
. On 16 December 2016, it was announced that
Ferdinando De Giorgi
Ferdinando De Giorgi (born 10 October 1961) is an Italian professional volleyball coach and former player, a participant in the Olympic Games Seoul 1988, three–time World Champion (1990, 1994, 1998), and the 1989 European Champion. He curren ...
took over the Polish team.
2017
De Giorgi made his debut as a head coach of Poland in friendly match with
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
without losing any set, on 20 May 2017. The match was a goodbye match for notable libero Krzysztof Ignaczak, who officially ended up his career in national team. Then Poland took part in intercontinental round of the 2017 FIVB World League. In first week, Poland beat
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(3–2) and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
(3–1), but lost match with
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
(1–3). Overall, Poland won 4 and lost 5 meetings. They lost a chance to advance to Final Six after losing match with
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(1–3) on 18 June. In final standing Poland took 8th place.
Poland took part in annual friendly tournament 2017 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner in 11–13 August 2017. On day 1, they lost with
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(2–3) and next day they beat
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
led by their previous head coach
Stephane Antiga Stephane may refer to:
* Stéphane
Stéphane is a male French given name an equivalent of Stephen/Steven. Notable people with this given name include:
* Stéphane Adam (born 1969), French footballer
*Stéphane Agbre Dasse (born 1989), Burkinabé f ...
(3–0). These two matches were played by main players of team without any relevant changes in squad. In last match with
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, coach De Giorgi decided to check extended squad and young players. Poland easily lost first two sets and made a contact in third set. Poland won after tie-break and achieved 7th win of the
Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner
The Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner is a volleyball friendly competition for the national teams, currently held every year and organized by the Hubert Wagner Foundation.
The first Memorial was held in 2003. The competition has been held every ...
. The victory was provided mainly by some newbies in senior national team Łukasz Kaczmarek,
Jakub Kochanowski
Jakub Kochanowski (born 17 July 1997) is a Polish professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Resovia (volleyball), Asseco Resovia and the Poland men's national volleyball team, Poland national team. Kochanowski was a partici ...
,
Bartłomiej Lemański
Bartłomiej Lemański (born 19 March 1996) is a Polish professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Cerrad Enea Czarni Radom.
Career Club
In 2014–2016, Lemański spent two seasons on loan at AZS Politechnika Warszawska. H ...
and also by few young players, who debuted in previous year like Artur Szalpuk. Head coach De Giorgi had an intention to announce team roster for upcoming 2017 European Championship, but after match with Russia he changed his mind and said he is going to do it few days later.
Poland took part in the 2017 European Championships. The national team opened Championships with loss at
National Stadium, Warsaw
The Stadion Narodowy im. Kazimierza Górskiego (, en, Kazimierz Górski's National Stadium), known for sponsorship reasons as the PGE Narodowy since 2015 (with patron being added in 2021), is a retractable roof football stadium located in War ...
in front of more than 60.000 fans (with Serbia). Then they won twice (3–0) with Finland and Estonia. On 30 August 2017 Polish national team was beaten by Slovenia in playoffs. The atmosphere in the team was not the best and the head coach failed to draw conclusions from the defeat, so PZPS fired
Ferdinando De Giorgi
Ferdinando De Giorgi (born 10 October 1961) is an Italian professional volleyball coach and former player, a participant in the Olympic Games Seoul 1988, three–time World Champion (1990, 1994, 1998), and the 1989 European Champion. He curren ...
on 20 September.
2018–2021: Vital Heynen
PZPS chose a new head coach out of three candidates:
Piotr Gruszka
Piotr Łukasz Gruszka (born 8 March 1977) is a Polish professional volleyball coach and former player. He was a member of the Poland national team from 1995 to 2011. A participant in the Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), a ...
Vital Heynen
Vital Heynen (born 12 June 1969) is a Belgian professional volleyball coach and former player. He currently serves as head coach for the Germany women's national team and Nilüfer Belediyespor.
Career as coach
Heynen started out his career as ...
. On 7 February 2018 Heynen was chosen in explicit voting. Heynen has also agreed to the condition that the PZPS can dismiss him at the end of any season without paying any compensation.
2022–present: Nikola Grbić
Statistics
Olympic Games
Champions Second place Third place
World Championship
Champions Second place Third place
World Cup
Champions Second place Third place
World Grand Champions Cup
Champions Second place Third place
World League
Champions Second place Third place
Nations League
Champions Second place Third place
European Championship
Champions Second place Third place
European League
*
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
– 6th place
*
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
Representing Poland in the 2022 World Championship ''(updated on 10 August 2022)''.
Head coach:
Nikola Grbić
Nikola Grbić ( sr-cyrl, Никола Грбић; born 6 September 1973) is a Serbian professional volleyball coach and former player, who is currently serving as head coach for the Poland national team. The Olympic Champion Sydney 2000, a bro ...
Captain:
Bartosz Kurek
Bartosz Kamil Kurek (born 29 August 1988) is a Polish professional volleyball player. He is a member of the Poland national team, a participant in the Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), 2018 World Champion, 2009 European Champ ...
Head coaches
Individual awards for players
Gallery
* 2011 FIVB World League
World League Finals Day 3 (5918502466).jpg
World League Finals Day 3 (5918542474).jpg
World Leauge Semifinals (5921309967).jpg
World Leauge Semifinals (5921332135).jpg
World League Final 2011 (5927664678).jpg
World League Final 2011 (5927114249).jpg
World League Final 2011 (5927120815).jpg
World League Final 2011 (5927876788).jpg
World League Final 2011 (5927893012).jpg
World League Final 2011 (5927902380).jpg
* 2012 FIVB World League
Żygadło i Winiarski.jpg
Winiarski, Wiśniewski, Kurek.jpg
Kubiak i Bartman.jpg
Żygadło, Kosok, Kubiak blok.jpg
Polscy siatkarze LŚ2012.jpg
Radość polskich siatkarzy.jpg
* 2013 FIVB World League
Bartosz Kurek (9290654771).jpg
Bartosz Kurek (9293461742).jpg
Bartosz Kurek (9290648831).jpg
Media
When
Łukasz Kadziewicz
Łukasz Kadziewicz (born 20 September 1980) is a Polish former professional volleyball player, a member of the Poland national team in 2001–2009. A participant of the Olympic Games ( Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), and a silver medalist at the 20 ...
was a member of the Polish national team he created the ''Kadziu Project''. He filmed videos that showed how the Polish team was preparing for matches and their lifestyle during tournaments (for example the Olympics in Beijing, 2008). When Kadziewicz ended his career in the national team, Krzysztof Ignaczak took up his idea and he was continuing this work under the name ''Igłą Szyte''. Ignaczak has made videos and has written a blog.
On 8 August 2014 held the official premiere of a documentary film about the Polish men's volleyball national team – ''Drużyna''. In the video players was talking about national team, motivation, daily life of representation. Cameras accompanied the team leading by Andrea Anastasi in 2013. The movie shows the season from the start of the preparation in Spała to the end of the 2013 CEV European Championship. The film ends with the takeover the team by the new national team coach –
Stephane Antiga Stephane may refer to:
* Stéphane
Stéphane is a male French given name an equivalent of Stephen/Steven. Notable people with this given name include:
* Stéphane Adam (born 1969), French footballer
*Stéphane Agbre Dasse (born 1989), Burkinabé f ...
.
Kit providers
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Poland national volleyball team.
Sponsorship
Primary sponsors include: main sponsors like
PKN Orlen
Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen Spółka Akcyjna (PKN Orlen S.A.), commonly known as Orlen, is a Polish oil refiner and petrol retailer. The corporation is a significant European publicly traded firm with major operations in Poland, Czech Republic, ...
and
Plus
Plus may refer to:
Mathematics
* Addition
* +, the mathematical sign
Music
* ''+'' (Ed Sheeran album), (pronounced "plus"), 2011
* ''Plus'' (Cannonball Adderley Quintet album), 1961
* ''Plus'' (Matt Nathanson EP), 2003
* ''Plus'' (Martin Ga ...
, other sponsors:
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
,
Okocim Brewery
Okocim Brewery (), in Brzesko in southeastern Poland, is a brewery founded in 1845.
History
The brewery was established in 1845 by Johann Evangelist Götz (1815-1893), a German beer maker born in Wirtemberg together with Joseph Neumann, fro ...
,
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
Dynamic Parcel Distribution
DPDgroup (legally GeoPost SA) is an international parcel delivery service for sorter compatible parcels based in Issy les Moulineaux, France. Until 2015 DPD stood for Dynamic Parcel Distribution. Its brands are DPD, Colissimo, Chronopost, Seur ...
National team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
National team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...