They surprised Nikola Grbic. The coach of the Polish national team indicated the names
The Polish volleyball team won the Silesia Cup 2026 friendly tournament. Nikola Grbic pointed to four volleyball players who positively surprised the coach.
It started with a defeat against Serbia in Sosnowiec (2:3), and then two wins – against Ukraine (3:1) and Bulgaria (3:1) – which resulted in success in the Silesia Cup 2026. The Polish national volleyball team successfully opened the season, and what is important, coach Nikola Grbic had the opportunity to see almost all the players in action.
The four, distinguished by Nikola Grbic. Important words from the Polish coach
At the end of May, the Serb is to name the squad for the first Nations League tournament. Will there be surprises? Coach Grbic is certainly wiser about the training camp in Spała, where the volleyball players have been working on their future in the national team since the beginning of May.
In addition, by collecting performances in Silesia Cup 2026, we can already draw the first interesting conclusions in the context of the potential that the coach has at his disposal. Grbic himself spoke after the tournament, in the deserted Spodek in Katowice.
Who surprised the Polish coach? Grbic pointed to the four.
– 100 percent Majchrzak. He got better with every training session. He may not look fantastic technically, but he is our best player at the moment. On the block, in attack, he simply does not make mistakes. He’s a player I’m positively surprised by. Plus Zych. I don’t look at statistics much because they are often information that is not true. The ball can be high and difficult, and then it turns out to be an error in the statistics. He remains to work with us. I also liked Grabek when it comes to technique and how he thinks on the pitch. At first, Aleks Nasewicz couldn’t finish the ball, even during training. He didn’t look fantastic today, but he’s better. We have to work on the serve, because he has strength, but has no control – said Grbic, after the match between Poles and Bulgarians at the end of Silesia Cup 2026, in an interview for Polsat Sport.
Is Nikola Grbic a guarantee of medals for the Polish team? Statistics don’t lie!
The Serbian coach has been working in the Polish national team since the beginning of 2022. In the case of Grbic, it can be safely admitted that whatever the coach touches, he turns into a medal. Statistics show clearly – in each of the most important events (i.e. Olympic Games, World and European Championships, Nations League), Poles, under the baton of the current coach, stood on the podium.
Starting from 2022: silver in the World Championships and bronze in the VNL. Then 2023, definitely the most successful year for Poles – two golds, the European Championship and the Nations League. In 2024, VNL bronze and silver in the Olympic tournament. Last season? VNL gold and World Championship bronze medals.
It is therefore hardly surprising that Poles are the leader of the FIVB world ranking. Poland has held this position, with minor breaks, for many years. The first long-term domination in this ranking on the white and red side lasted from June 2022. After slight perturbations in 2025, when the Poles fell to the second position for a moment, everything returned to “normal” in July last year.
It is therefore no surprise that regardless of the composition of the Polish national team, it is indicated in every possible place as one of the favorites to play for the most valuable laurels. This is not only the merit of coach Grbic, but certainly the consistently built position, actually since the runner-up finish in the world championship in… 2006.
