Poland cruise past the USA and return to the top of the standings

FIVB World Ranking leaders Poland returned to the top of the Volleyball Nations League 2025 standings on Saturday in a remarkable way as the Europeans took down the United States in front of their home fans.

With the support of thousands of fans at the NOW Arena, in Chicago, a city that’s home to over 800,000 people of Polish ancestry, the Europeans had no trouble taking down the home team 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-22) in the last match of the day.

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The three points earned with the victory placed Poland back at the top of the standings as they now have 18 points, one more than Brazil, which had passed them on Thursday. The two national teams will determine which of them will end the second week of the Preliminary Phase ranked first when they meet on Sunday, at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT).

The victory against the Americans, who entered the match ranked third in the world, earned the Polish as many as 7.2 World Ranking points, further solidifying their spot at the top of the list.

Outside hitter Michal Gierżot was instrumental in the Polish victory, tallying a match-high 15 points (12 kills, three aces) for the winning side. Opposite Kewin Sasak contributed ten, while Paris Olympic medalist Aleksander Śliwka registered nine in his first VNL 2025 start.

“Today, I just tried to give energy and confidence to my teammates,” Śliwka, who’s the Polish captain this week, said. “But this group is really special, they’re very ambitious and confident. To play here and have the support of so many fans is really amazing. Wherever we go in the world, we see Polish fans, but what we have here in Chicago is something else. We saw red and white everywhere at the stadium despite playing the home team, and that’s truly a privilege.”

With nine points scored, one more than opposite Kyle Hobus, 22-year-old outside hitter Cooper Robinson was the most productive player for the Americans.

“We didn’t start on our best note, but we made some changes, and our bench guys are always ready,” setter Micah Ma’a reacted. “It’s tough to play here against Poland, but it’s also the best. We just wanted to play all night, but we put up a good fight until the end, and they’re a great team.”

Brazil beat Italy in a thriller

The first match of the day in Chicago was much longer and more competitive, and had Brazil taking down world champions Italy 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 33-31, 17-25, 15-13).

VNL 2025 – Match Schedule & Results

On Sunday, besides the duel between Poland and Brazil, the match schedule in Chicago also features an encounter between China and Canada at 12:30 (17:30 GMT) and a clash involving the United States and Italy at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Monday).

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