Poland to take on Argentina in Xi’An

Recently crowned Volleyball Nations League champions Poland are up against Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists Argentina in Pool C of the men’s tournament of the Volleyball Olympic Qualifier.

This exhilarating encounter will take place on October 6 at 14:00 local time (06:00 UTC) with these two squads competing for the two Olympic spots on offer in Pool C, along with six other squads namely the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Bulgaria and hosts China.

In their 10 appearances at the Olympics, Poland have won an Olympic gold medal at Montreal 1976. They finished fourth in 1980 and have reached the quarterfinals in the last five editions.

Their huge successes in the last decade, including their 2023 VNL title win, will be a huge factor in their Olympic campaign this time around. The three-time world champions have some new blood entered in the mix and that could give them good momentum and new energy.

Poland are led by the formidable tandem of Bartosz Kurek and Wilfredo Leon, along with veterans 2023 VNL MVP Pawel Zatorski and Karol Klos, and new stars Alexander Sliwka, Jakub Kochanowski and Lukas Kaczmarek.

Argentina last met Poland at the 2022 VNL, where the latter won 3-0. However, the South Americans have kept it steady since winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They made a breakthrough this year as they advanced to the VNL Finals for the first time, which is a positive indication that they are also top contenders for the Olympic spot.

Luciano De Cecco leads the pack and will be the main playmaker for high-scoring opposite Bruno Lima and the younger hitters, while Agustin Loser will be their top defender at the net as well as a go-to hitter.

Watch all the matches of Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament on VBTV starting September 16.

Quick links:
Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament
VBTV
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter