Brilliant Kochanowski pushes Poland to victory in a thriller

Fueled by one of the best individual performances in the Volleyball Nations League 2023 so far, Poland claimed their fifth victory in the tournament in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Thursday, and are in fourth place with 11 points.

With middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski on a flawless night, the 2014 and 2018 world champions overcame the home team in five sets to be on the winning side of the 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 18-15, 25-22, 15-11) battle that ended the day in the Dutch city.

• Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

A 2018 world champion, the 27-year-old Kochanowski scored 17 points in just his second appearance in the VNL 2013. More impressive than his total production was his efficiency as the 1.99m-tall middle blocker got his ten kills in 11 attempts, hitting at an astounding 90.91% rate, and firing five aces in 14 serves – he also had two blocks.

The Poles, who also benefited from 14 points from star outside hitter Wilfredo Leon, who came off the bench to deliver five points in the tie-breaker, had massive support in the stands with approximately half of the capacity of the Dutch stadium occupied by Polish fans.

“The Dutch demanded a lot from us and we were looking for our best game for most of the time,” Kochanowski reflected. “I’m glad we were able to show it in the tie-breaker and get the win. Playing against the host team is always difficult, but today this definitely wasn’t a one-sided stadium. It was an amazing atmosphere and I felt that it motivated everyone to give a little bit more.”

Dutch star opposite and team captain Nimir Abdel-Aziz was the match’s top scorer, surpassing the 20-point mark for the third time in the VNL 2023 – he registered 23 against the Polish, with 21 kills and two aces. Middle blocker Fabian Plak also had a good night, with 16 points (nine kills, three aces, four blocks).

The match was also very close in the statistical categories, with the Poles having a slight advantage in kills (57 to 55), blocks (eight to seven) and opponent errors (35 to 32), while the Dutch were a little bit more effective from the service line, with seven aces to five.

**Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results**

In another match held in Rotterdam on Thursday, Serbia overcame Germany 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23). Opposite Drazen Luburic led the Serbian victory with 16 points, followed by outside hitter Miran Kujundžić, with 14. Middle blocker Anton Brehme and opposite Linus Weber produced each 15 points for Germany.

Friday’s schedule in Rotterdam will feature a pair of matches, with Iran playing the United States at 16:30 local time (14:30 UTC) and Serbia facing Italy later at 20:00 local time (18:00 UTC).

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