DevelopRes, Budowlani, Bielsko-Biała and second-division side MKS Kalisz are the candidates to win the title
Published 09:00, 06 Feb 2026
Ranked first and second in the Tauron Liga, DevelopRes and Budowlani will meet in Saturday's first semifinal (Photo: Tauron Liga)
The trophy of the 2026 Tauron Polish Cup will be in play this weekend in Elbląg, the host city of the tournament's Final Four.
Tauron Liga competitors KS DevelopRes Rzeszów, PGE Budowlani Łódź and BKS BOSTIK ZGO Bielsko-Biała and second-division side NETLAND MKS Kalisz are the candidates to triumph in the 69th edition of the tournament, which was first played back in 1932.
Saturday's match schedule in Elbląg will feature the semifinals, which will have DevelopRes and Budowlani clashing at 14:45 local time (13:45 UTC) and Bielsko-Biała and MKS Kalisz meeting later, at 18:00 (17:00 UTC). The winners play for the title at 14:45 (13:45 UTC).
DevelopRes are the reigning Polish Cup champions after winning the tournament for the second time in 2025 - they also lifted the trophy in 2022. Currently sitting at the top of the Tauron Liga standings, they made it to the Final Four with victories over Gedania Politechnika Gdańsk and Sokół & Hagric Mogilno in the previous elimination rounds.
Captained by experienced setter Katarzyna Wenerska, they have American opposite Taylor Bannister as their main scoring option, while veteran Belgian middle blocker Laura Heyrman provides a solid presence at the net and Polish national team libero Aleksandra Szczygłowska leads their defensive efforts.
"We're going to have a really tough battle with Budowlani in the semifinals," Dutch outside hitter Marrit Jasper said. "Many people believe this could very well be the tournament's final, but the draw worked out differently. It will be the second time we'll be playing for a trophy this season, and we're looking forward to it. "
Their opponents Budowlani are also two-time Polish Cup champions, having won the tournament in 2010 and 2018. Ranked second in the Tauron Liga, they had to survive a tough bracket to make it to the Final Four this season, beating crosstown rivals ŁKS Commercecon Łódź in the Round of 16 and ten-time champions LOTTO Chemik Police in the quarterfinals.
Polish national team members Paulina Damaske (outside hitter), Alicja Grabka (setter) and Justyna Łysiak (libero) form the core of the team, which also counts on solid international talent, such as Swiss opposite Maja Storck and Slovenian middle blocker Saša Planinšec.
"We had a tough bracket, but we understand that if we want to win the Polish Cup, we have to beat everyone," Planinšec reflected. "We played very well in the first two rounds and are excited to be in the Final Four. We've shown this season we can beat DevelopRes and we'll try to do it again."
DevelopRes and Budowlani have split wins in the Taruon Liga regular season in 2025-2026, with the team from Rzeszów having triumphed in the most recent encounter, three weeks ago.
Currently playing in the country's second division, MKS Kalisz have four Polish Cup titles under their belt, having topped the podium in the tournament in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2007. On pace to return to the elite next season, they lead the Liga Kobiet and eliminated EcoHarpoon NOWEL LOS Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki and KSG Warszawa on their way to Elblag.
Italian setter Veronica Allasia, Finnish opposite Saana Lindgren, outside hitter Aleksandra Deptuch and libero Nadia Łuszyńska are among the standouts in the team's surprising campaign.
"Competing in the Final Four is special for us," outside hitter Zuzanna Kuligowska remarked. "Not many players in our team had the opportunity to play in an event like this before. Our opponents are the favorites, so we have no pressure. We just want to get on the court, play our volleyball, and show that we can challenge them."
Bielsko-Biała are in a position to make history this weekend, as they have nine Polish Cup titles (1955, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2024) and can tie Chemik as the most successful team in the event with ten victories. Currently in fourth place in the Tauron Liga, they overcame #VolleyWrocław and UNI Opole in the previous elimination rounds.
Estonian opposite Kertu Laak is a key piece in the team, which also counts on outside hitter Martyna Borowczak and middle blockers Aleksandra Gryka and Marta Orzyłowska as pillars. The team, however, could miss starting setter Wiktoria Szewczyk, who recently got injured.
"We have to deal with it the best we can," Laak added. "Our semifinal opponents are the big surprise of the tournament, and that puts them in a comfortable position, as they have nothing to lose. Our task is to show on the court that we deserve to be in the final, and that's how we'll approach that match."
Bielsko-Biała enter Saturday's semifinal having won the last six matches against MKS Kalisz - their last defeat to them happened more than three years ago, in 2023.
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