– The workshop, the charisma and the experience of working with young people convinced us to entrust Lavarini with the helm of the Polish national team – said Aleksandra JagiełoChair of the Female Coaches Recommending Team.

The following months were marked by the completion of training staff and the close observation of volleyball players, and finally in April Stefano Lavarini officially announced the group he wants to start working with in the 2022 season. Joanna Wołosz appeared on the long-awaited list, who last played for the national team in Apeldoorn in January 2020 during the qualifying tournament for the Olympics.

Less than a month after knowing the line-up, the Polish squad gathered in Szczyrk for the first training camp of the season – It felt like the first day of school – honestly admitted Stefano Lavarini. Even stronger emotions were felt by Aleksandra Szczygłowska, Weronika Sobiczewska and Magdalena Jurczyk, who made their first appearance in the senior team.

However, the national calendar did not allow a slow entry into the reality of the staff, and the days followed one another more and more quickly towards the Volleyball Nations League, which was racing against the clock from start to finish. There was a definite lack of regular training in this competition, which made itself felt in the following weeks. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only problem for Whites and Reds.

The first week of the Polish VNL volleyball players passed in the United States, and they flew there without … a nominal striker. Magdalena Stysiak, who was nursing a knee injury after a tedious club season, and Malwina Smarzek, who needed a break from the game, weren’t in the squad. In the United States, Polish women won three times: over Canada, Korea and Germany, giving way only to Brazil. The second week they moved to the Philippines, but along the way they had a mini training camp in Korea – all to save time for travel between Europe and the other hemisphere. In the meantime, there was a reshuffle – Alicja Grabka and Agnieszka, then still Kąkolewska, were replaced by Martyna Czyrniańska and Magdalena Jurczyk.

In the Philippines, White and Red play broke down, and the lack of teamwork and the gap in the attacking position hit so hard that they were felt at the tournament in Bulgaria as well. Of the eight matches in this part of the VNL, Stefano Lavarini’s players have only won against Thailand, and defeats against rivals on the same board have considerably weakened the morale of our team. Losing points with Belgium, the Dominican Republic or the Bulgarians deprived the Polish national team of a chance to play in the Volleyball Nations League final tournament and provided many elements for analysis.

Faced with this situation, the technical staff decided to rest for more than three weeks. After all, a large part of our representatives went to training camp practically directly from the clubs and only now had the opportunity to regenerate after many months of intense struggle.

Preparations for the second part of the season began in Warsaw, and the Polish women spent the following weeks in Szczyrk, preparing for this year’s target event – the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship, which Poland co-hosted. -organized with the Netherlands. The time until the championship was divided into a period of training and combat. Magdalena Stysiak returned to the team, whose offensive strength from the start did a lot of good, which was already visible in friendly matches. During the preparatory period, our national team players played twice with Germans (Kienbaum), twice with Bulgarians (Katowice) and took part in the DHL Test Match Tournament (Naples), competing with Italians, Serbs and Turks.

Finally, it was time for the World Cup, which was inaugurated by the Poles with a match against Croatia in the Dutch city of Arnhem. Although there was no lack of uneven play on the White-Red side, an important step was the introduction of Katarzyna Wenerska and Monika Gałkowska on the court, who saved the end of the third set, making it 2:1. This part of the match was much more impactful. At that moment TEAM was born and the girls began to believe in each other and saw with their own eyes how much potential they had. At the end of the championship, they themselves admitted that it was then that the Polish national team was built.

The following matches were like a beautiful dream. The Polish volleyball players returned in front of their own home crowd and at ERGO ARENA they continued their group journey. First they won a set without losing against Thailand and Korea, but for the third day in a row the Dominican Republic lost 1:3. At the end of Group B, the Poles played against the Turks, taking women’s volleyball to an unimaginable level. The spectacular five-set match was watched by nearly 8,000 spectators from the stands. spectators, who with live cheers carried the girls through subsequent actions. In the end, our team lost 2:3, but gained something much more important – the dedication and respect of the fans.

In Łódź, the Polish national team played the second group stage, which started with a cold shower with the Serbs. Matches against Canada and Germany produced grueling five-set victories, which could make this part of the tournament look like a flop. However, something historic happened – a victory over the United States. Our national team players met the Americans straight after the one-sided clash with the Serbs and it looked like it would be a one-goal game here as well. However, our team played brilliantly, world-class and without any qualms, eventually beating the Olympic champions 3:0. And it is to this match that a certain promotion to the quarter-finals of the championship, disputed in Gliwice, came back to memory.

We all know what the quarter-final against Serbia was like – how many chases, twists and match points there were. Everyone will long remember this unfortunate last serve of the game, which barred the dreams of the medal area. The truth, however, is that no one would dare to dream of a medal in this championship before the season and almost no one would believe that the Polish women’s national team in this moment of development can literally walk on the heels of world leaders.

Polish volleyball players have waited 60 years to be promoted to the top eight in the world championships. Such interest in women’s competitions had not been seen since “Złotki” by Andrzej Niemczyk. Our players haven’t been this high in the individual rankings for a long time. And for the first time they didn’t want to come back from the national team. And that’s what best sums up the “Babski Gang” season.

ANNA DANILUK, PHOTO: PIOTR SUMARA, FIVB, 30 DECEMBER 2022