Here is the successor of Bartosz Kurek. The Polish volleyball player has traveled a difficult road

Poles play the first VNL 2025 tournament in Chinese Xi’an. The representation led by coach Nikola Grbcia began with winnings, in both cases in four sets (3: 1), on the Netherlands and Japan.

Kewin Sasak, the new leader of the Polish national team. Great form of the attacker

During the tournament in China, the coach of the Polish national team focused on many new faces, looking even compared to the last challenge of the 2024 season, i.e. the Olympic tournament. On the one hand, in the current campaign of several silver medalists, they got time to rest or heals injuries – e.g. Marcin Janusz and Mateusz Bieniek.

The other side is the prospect of building new solutions regarding the Polish national team. Season 2025 is the first edition of the Olympic cycle, where the target, the most important four -year event will be the Games in Los Angeles (2028). For this reason, coach Grbić is looking for new solutions. One of these is Kewin Sasak.

The attacker debuted in the Polish national team relatively late, at the age of 28. Sometimes, however, sports life writes a completely different scenario than one would expect. Sasak comes from Podkarpackie Dębica, but seniors began on the eastern side of Poland, but … in Bialystok (local bass). In addition, the attacker also caught MKS MDK Warsaw, while playing in youth groups. First Białystok, later, Ślepsk Suwałki, and finally moving to Trefl Gdańsk. And as you know from today, the Tri -City Ergo Arena can pull the best out of the volleyball player.

Was this also the case with Sasak? It seems that not quite, although it was certainly in Trefl that the player had the opportunity to show himself to a wider audience. In the 2018/19 season in Gdańsk, however, Maciej Muzaja was seen as “one”. Considered then as one of the greatest talents among Polish attackers, with the potential to play an important role even in the group of Polish representatives. Ultimately, however, Muza’s career went a bit differently, in the last season he played in the Japanese league, but now Sasak has much closer to the narrow team.

The attacker after his stay in Gdańsk (in total 2018-22) decided on an unconventional decision to choose the Czech league. Much weaker than PlusLiga, but giving great opportunities in terms of regular performances. It was a decision that turned out to be a turning point in Sasak’s career. Season 2022/23 spent in the colors of VK CEZ Karlovarsko allowed to gain certainty (including the bronze league medal and the Czech Super Cup), which in the next campaign the volleyball player turned into very good performances in colors … again Trefla Gdańsk. This time Sasak was already one of the most important characters, in a duet with the host Mikołaj Sawicki. They both later chose the course at Bogdanka Luk Lublin. For Sasak, a symbolic, again to the eastern part of the country, as it turned out, after winning the Polish championship. And let’s add that the Lublin club also reached for the Challenge Cup.

However, one could wonder how Sasak would translate his important role in the PlusLiga winners team into representative playing. The attacker made his debut during the Silesia Cup, in the Katowice Spodek in a friendly match with Ukraine. He came to the wider waters in the aforementioned League of Nations. If he got a chance to play from Grbic, he immediately turned it into a lot of benefits for the national team.

In two matches Sasak scored a total of 39 points. Against the Dutch and the Japanese, the volleyball player impressed not only in the attack, his effectiveness and range, but also adding a lot of good in the service field. The latest example? Stan 20:24 in the first set of the Poland – Japan, Sasak match at the service and ultimately Poles pull out this set, first leading to 24:24, and finally 27:25.

Will it be the successor of Bartosz Kurek? Certainly, “Kurasia” has nothing to cross out, considering how much good he did last season in PlusLiga. ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle had a lot of children from Kurek, although there is nothing to hide, the captain of the younger national team will not be and having a Sasak to compete, certainly both players will benefit from it. And the coach Grbić will also have a larger room for maneuver.

VNL 2025: When is the next match of the Polish volleyball team?

Friday will be a break for the Polish national team. Olympic runners -up will return to the game on Saturday. Then the team of coach Grbic will play with Turkey. Beginning of the meeting at 13:00 Polish time.

The broadcast of the match on the air of Open Polsat, Polsat Sport 1 and Internet, even through the Polsat Box Go platform.