Poland averted an upset by Slovenia by scoring a come-from-behind 29-31, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, and 15-13 victory in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) men’s tournament Pasay City leg on late Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Poland showed why they are the No. 1 ranked men’s volleyball team in the world as they climbed back from two sets down, including a slim defeat in the extended first set, to follow up their win against Italy last week.
Aleksander Sliwka tallied 20 points on 18 hits, an ace, and a block, while three more Poles finished in double digits for Poland, which improved to 7-2 won-lost to join a crowded middle pack in the team standings.
Bartosz Bednosz added 14 points, while Mateusz Bieniek and Bartosz Kurek had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Poland, which will host the VNL final phase from July 19 to 24, featuring the top 8 teams.
“We wanted to be just as best as we could. We know that Slovenia is a very good team. We have some history, and the games against them are always tough. We expected a tough game,” Sliwka said. “They showed it, specifically in the first set.”
Klemen Cebulj put up 20 points, while Rok Muzic and Tine Urnaut added 17 and 16 points, respectively, in a foiled cause for Slovenia, which slid to 6-3.
