In preparation for this year’s edition of the Nations League, the Polish players played two friendlies against the French team. The rival is not one of the most demanding, as he is ranked 21st in the world rankings and does not compete in the LN, but in the lower tier of the Golden European League. According to Świeniewicz, the level of the opponent was not the most important.
“They weren’t top rivals, but you can see the girls established a base to play in last year and maintained it. Now it’s a matter of time to add something more. even better in the context of the Nations League, European Championships and Olympic Qualifications,” said the former representative of Poland.
Biało-Czerwone beat the French team twice 4:0, which the former volleyball player says will be helpful in boosting the confidence of the Polish team.
“I’m certainly happy with the result and the fact that coach Stefano Lavarini let all the girls play in the first game. He didn’t stick to his iron team, he only checked the form of all the players” , she added.
Already at the first Nations League tournament in Antalya in Turkey, the Polish women will face a difficult task, as their rivals will be m.in. European champions and bronze medalists of the world championships last year – Italians and vice-champions of the Old Continent and world champions – Serbs.
The Biało-Czerwonych team will miss the leader – quarterback Joanna Wołosz, who got more time off from the coach after the club’s season ended. The team will also not be helped by Klaudia Alagierska-Szczepaniak and Zuzanna Górecka, who suffered serious injuries in Polish Premier League games.
“If we look at the squads presented for the first tournament, the Italians are, among other things, without Paola Egon and their second, third +suit+. All the coaches are aware of the difficulty and the length of this season. Each of the coaches will give rest to its biggest stars and test the next generation, which in the near future will determine the strength of the staff, ”said the expert and commentator of Polsat Sport.
From Turkey, coach Lavarini’s proteges will travel to Hong Kong, then to Suwon in Korea. The battle is on for a spot in the top eight teams to play in the final tournament at American Arlington.
“Currently it is very difficult to assess whether Polish women have a chance to reach the final tournament or not. It would be very good if this art succeeded, if only because of the ranking, because the girls have really need points as part of Olympic qualifying, but I think it needs to be approached with a lot of wisdom, bearing in mind the upcoming European Championships and the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games” – stressed Świeniewicz.
Polish volleyball players will begin their struggles in this year’s edition of the Nations League on Tuesday with a game against Canada. Coverage at 7:00 p.m. on Polsatsport.pl.
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