Poland hammered out a 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-17) shutout of Bulgaria, outplaying their southern European opponents in all three scoring elements, most disproportionately in blocking with 12 stuffs to three.
While none of the Bulgarian players could score more than six points in the match, as many as four Polish athletes reached the double digits in the three sets played. Swinging at a 59% success rate, opposite Magdalena Stysiak led the way with 17 points, including one kill block. Outside hitter Paulina Damaske added 11 points, including one ace, while her 21-year-old cross-court teammate Martyna Czyrnianska and middle blocker Aleksandra Gryka contributed 10 points (6 spikes, 3 blocks, 1 ace) each.
“It was the last game for us and we were trying to stay focused from the beginning until the end, especially with the Finals coming up in Poland, because Polish volleyball needs to grow day by day. Today, coach changed the squad a little bit, but it doesn’t matter who is playing, we always need to show our 100%. And I am happy for this win,” Stysiak told VBTV. “Of course, we need to be ready for everything. We are waiting for our opponent (in the quarterfinals). For sure, we need to stay focused, because it is not going to be easy anyway. We want to win. We want to play our good volleyball in front of our audience in Poland.”
