Polish national team in the medal zone! What a match of great talent

In the case of the Polish U-22 volleyball team, it is worth recalling that in December 2025, WPROST published a large interview with the coach of this team, Piotr Graban. The coach did not hide that the most important event in the 2026 season would be the European Championships.

– The most important event, the European Championships, which will be held at the turn of June/July 2026. There is no point in hiding it, we are going there with hopes of winning a medal. We took sixth place at the world championships. I think we could have been higher. However, throughout the national team season, we devoted a lot of time to work during training camps and it paid off. Now it turns out that during the club season, a large group of our representatives play in their teams. I am happy about it, because this experience of everyday work and match pressure can only work to the advantage of the boys and the entire national team in the 2026 season – said the coach of the immediate back-up team, Nikola Grbic.

And indeed, at the opening of July, the Poles recorded a key victory, which was their ticket to the medal game.

Polish national team in the medal zone! Volleyball players are fighting bravely at the European Championships

There is no doubt that in recent years, Polish volleyball players – regardless of age category and tournament rank – have been obliged to play for the highest goals. This is a consequence of the regular successes of the senior team, which is definitely the most… medal-winning among team sports in Poland.

It is therefore hardly surprising that coach Graban’s team is also expected to place on the podium. The U-22 team is playing the European Championship in Portugal. The Poles started with a valuable triumph over the hosts, the Portuguese, defeating them after a tie-break.

The cold shower came several hours later. Although Poland was leading 1-0 and 2-1 in sets, it ultimately lost 2-3 to Ukraine. Poles even led in the last part, among others. 10:8 or 12:9, but they did not manage to close the match, losing 13:15 to our eastern neighbors. It became clear that the most important match would be the third group clash, where the Poles had Israel on the other side of the net.

In the context of competing with teams whose countries are involved in armed conflicts or are engaged in open war, we also talked to coach Graban. The selector then took a common sense approach to what could have been – and as it turned out – was imposed in advance by the European Volleyball Federation (CEV).

– It probably wouldn’t be my decision if I had to face it (with Russia, note by eMPe). It was the same with Israel. They attended the European Championship qualifiers, were admitted and played. I don’t have control over everything. If we have to play against Russia, I will approach it as a match that we want to win. I certainly wouldn’t be satisfied though. The countries concerned should be held accountable as a nation for the evil they do. Unfortunately, if the world or European federation allows them to play, what more can I, as a coach, say? – Graban admitted in an interview for WPROST in December 2025.

However, the Poles showed that they can achieve the desired result, slightly irritated by the mishap with the Ukrainians. Israel had already secured promotion to the semi-finals, starting the group competition with two wins – without losing a set.

The Poles won 3-0, and the hero of the match was Wojciech Gajek. The attacker scored 16 points, playing with an efficiency of 77%. Additionally, the volleyball player added three point blocks and the same number of service aces. The entire match lasted only 69 minutes.

Full statistics from the match are available here.

Thanks to the victory over Israel without losing a set, the Poles guaranteed themselves a place in the best four of the U-22 European Championship. Who will Poland play against in the semi-finals of the event? In the second group, before the last series of games, everything is decided by the trio: France, the Czech Republic and Italy. The Poles will play against the group winners, as the second team of their group quartet.

The semi-final competition will take place next Friday (July 3). Medal matches a day later, on Saturday.