On Thursday, in the quarterfinals in Istanbul, Poland faced the lower-ranked Netherlands, which they had recently won.
The Polish women won today after a fierce match in four sets: 25:16, 20:25, 25:20, 25:23. The end of the fourth and last game was particularly exciting. It seemed that the advantage of several points of the Dutch would lead to a tie-break, but the Poles managed to pull out the victory in the end.
After seven years, the White and Reds will again play in the best four of the Old Continent championship. In 2019 in Ankara, they finished off the podium, and they won their last medal, bronze, in 2009 in Łódź.
In the semi-finals, Italia, considered the favorite of the tournament, was waiting for the winner.
The first set for the Polish women, the second for the Dutch
The Dutch started the match well, although they scored points mainly due to their opponents' mistakes. The Polish women won five consecutive games and quickly began to dominate on the court. The Polish team's block was getting better and better, and Katarzyna Wenerska made good choices both in the first action and in the counterattack.
The second part of the set was a show of strength for Stefano Lavarini's team. A good serve and a tight block turned out to be the key to a great victory.
After a short break, the Poles gave the initiative to their rivals for a moment. They lost three points in one set, Stysiak was blocked, Baijens scored from the serve and the "Oranje" took the lead 10:8. The White and Reds quickly made up for the loss, after attacks by Stysiak and Monika Lampkowska they won 12:10, but the Dutch did not let themselves be broken. Felix Koslowski's players won a lot of balls in defense and were no longer blocked in attack. In the second set, the Poles managed to successfully stop their opponents' attack only once, while in the first set they scored as many as seven points in this element.
In the end, simple mistakes appeared more and more often, after Piasecka's throw-out attack, the winger of the Polish national team suggested that her opponents had caught the ball in the block, but Lavarini had previously lost two video verifications. There was hope for a moment when, after Stysiak's effective shot, the Polish women were losing 20:22, but the last three actions were won by the Dutch.
Poland is back on the winning track
In the third game, the Poles took the initiative again, but it was not as dominant as in the first game. Piasecka felt more and more confident in the offensive, and Stysiak took over in this element, with both midfielders, Maja Koput and Jurczyk, adding points. The latter, after a very long block exchange, stopped the opponents' attack and the score was 17:12 for Poland.
The advantage was still not safe, but substitutes Paulina Damaske and Julia Szczurowska finished the important balls. In the decisive moment, Damaske ended the set with two blocks on Nicole van de Vosse.
A tight fourth set
The fourth game was the most even and exciting. Neither team managed to gain a significant advantage. Developes Rzeszów volleyball player Marrit Jasper woke up in the "Oranje" national team, finishing subsequent attacks.
At one point, the Poles gained three points (17:14), but then they became weak in attack. Lavarini asked for a time-out and made two changes in the receiving position, but the opponents won five games in a row and took the lead (19:17).
When the score was 21:18 for the Netherlands, our volleyball players jumped up. The main role was played by Szczurowska, who did not hold back her hand during very difficult exhibitions, and Martyna Czyrniańska's strong serves caused a lot of problems for her opponents.
The key moment came when the score was 22:22 - there was a huge misunderstanding on the Polish side and the ball hit the court between two players. The coaching staff noticed that one of the Dutch players touched the net and the Poles took the lead again. After a successful block, they had two match balls, but Koput served into the net. Damaske made no mistake in the last action, after her rebound her opponents were unable to get the ball back.
The most points for the White and Reds were scored by: Piasecka, Stysiak and Jurczyk - 14 each; for the Dutch: Dambrink 16 and Jasper 15.
Poland – Netherlands 3:1 (25:15, 20:25, 25:20, 25:23)
Poland: Katarzyna Wenerska, Magdalena Stysiak, Maja Koput, Magdalena Jurczyk, Julia Piasecka, Monika Lampkowska, Justyna Łysiak (libero) – Julia Szczurowska, Alicja Grabka, Klaudia Łyduch, Paulina Damaske, Martyna Czyrniańska.
Netherlands: Sarah Van Aalen, Elles Dambrink, Indy Baijens, Britte Stuut, Marrit Jasper, Jollen Knollema, Hester Jasper (libero) – Britt Bongaerts, Helena Kok, Nicole Van de Vosse, Laura Jansen.
