Growing up in small town Jawor in southwestern Poland, a locale that is not much known for volleyball, still makes Piotr Sliwka proud of the place where he and his brother Aleksander and his other siblings grew up and learned to play the sport.

“My hometown is Jawor, it’s just a small town and not known for volleyball unlike other big cities in Poland. However, my local club had successes when I played there as a youth team member, as well as when my brother used to play there,” Piotr explained.

It must have been quite competitive at the Sliwka househould as he grew up with a father, brother and sisters who all played volleyball, but Piotr believes that it has helped him become a better player.

“We always play in our house. We are quite competitive with each other, but we are supportive of each other too. That’s the kind of household we have, when we are all at home, we try to help each other out.” Piotr said.

It is not at all just volleyball and stated that he lives quite a normal life, “I like to watch TV series, play video games. I just like to chill on my free time.”

The 20-year-old’s skills are rooted in talent and shaped by Poland’s rich culture and tradition in volleyball, and he is grateful to have been raised in such environment to carry forward the country’s successes in the sport.

“Poland has a rich tradition in volleyball. The volleyball culture, too, in our country is great. These might be the reasons why we are able to send strong teams each year because there are so many young people who take interest in the sport,” he said.

Despite Poland’s title success at the FIVB Volleyball U19 Boys’ World Championship in Tehran in 2021, Piotr is not his guard down at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball U21 Men’s World Championship in Manama, Bahrain.

“I think we are moving up well at this tournament, but I don’t want to jinx it. So we must play each game like a final,” he stated.

Poland have posted a 2-0 winning start at the U21 World Championship, beating India 3-1 and Canada 3-0 at Isa Sport Hall on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The young outside hitter had double-digit performances in both matches.

“I think we expected this result. We are ready for the next match, and we will continue to have the same attitude. We are just taking it one match at a time. Every single match is important in this Championship. I think we accomplished our job today, winning 3-0 against Canada.”

2023 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship: Full Schedule

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