Polish W. National Team Will Be Without Starting Setter This Summer

A youth movement has taken over Poland’s women’s national team, with the 2018 World Championships nigh and the build to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics building. Of the 27-member National Team roster named for the Polish women this summer, 9 come straight from the team that represented Poland at last year’s U20 World Championships. That means that 75% of the team that finished 6th in that tournament have jumped straight into the senior national team for this summer.

The first task will be to whittle the 27 down to 21 for the preliminary roster of this year’s inaugural Volleyball Nations League, which replaces the World Grand Prix. Then a roster of 14 will have to be named 2 days prior to the beginning of each of 5 weekends of round robin play.

Polish National Team coach Jacek Nawrocki said that those young players will likely just be in training to start, but with an eye toward future development.

“We consistently focus on gifted players, but also those who have adequate representation experience, who give their hearts to the national colors and see the chances of sporting development in the game,” Nawrocki said. “A group of young volleyball players with high potential appeared, who should be acquiring international experience. This is our huge capital for the future. Such examples are the girls from the Polish national team of juniors, although not all of them could be in the first representation.”

One glaring absence from the roster is 28-year old long-time Polish National Team setter Joanna Wolosz, who Nawrocki said was the one player he really wanted on the team. He wouldn’t comment on why the Imoco Volley pro wasn’t on the roster, deferring that explanation to her.

That will leave veterans Marlena Plesnierowicz to battle with young setters Alicja Grabka, Julia Nowicka, and Weronika Wolodko, who are all just 19 years old (born in 1998) for playing time.

The team will meet on April 30th to begin training and will play their first friendlies against the Czech Republic in Wegierska Gorka on May 10th and 11th. That will come 3 days before departure for the first weekend of Nations League play.

• Klaudia Alagierska – Legionovia Legionowo, middle blocker
• Oliwia Bałuk – PSPS Chemik Police / NZ SMS PZPS Szczyrk, outside hitter
• Monika Bociek – Polish Sugar Muszynianka Muszyna, outside hitter
• Magdalena Damaske – Legionovia Legionowo, outside hitter
• Zuzanna Efimienko-Młotkowska – ŁKS Comercecon Łódź, middle blocker
• Zuzanna Górecka – LTS Legionovia / NZ SMS PZPS Szczyrk, receiver
• Alicja Grabka – Legionovia Legionowo, setter
• Martyna Grajber – Grot Budowlani Łódź, outside hitter
• Aleksandra Gryka – LTS Legionovia / NZ SMS PZPS Szczyrk, middle blocker
• Małgorzata Jasek – Legionovia Legionowo, opposite/outside hitter
• Agnieszka Kąkolewska – Grot Budowlani Łódź, middle blocker
• Justyna Łukasik – Trefl Proxima Krakow, middle blocker
• Martyna Łukasik – Trefl Proxima Krakow, opposite
• Justyna Łysiak – ENEA PTPS Piła, libero
• Marta Matejko – MKS Truso Elbląg, opposite
• Natalia Mędrzyk – KPS Chemik Police, receiver
• Emilia Mucha – BKS PROFI CREDIT Bielsko-Biała, outside hitter
• Natalia Murek – Impel Wrocław, outside hitter
• Julia Nowicka – BKS PROFI CREDIT Bielsko-Biała, setter
• Marlena Pleśnierowicz – BKS PROFI CREDIT Bielsko-Biała, setter
• Gabriela Polańska – Grot Budowlani Łódź, middle blocker
• Olivia Różański – BKS PROFI CREDIT Bielsko-Biała, receiver
• Malwina Smarzek – KPS Chemik Police, opposite
• Maria Stenzel – Impel Wrocław, libero
• Julia Twardowska – Grot Budowlani Łódź, receiver
• Agata Witkowska – Grot Budowlani Łódź, libero
• Weronika Wołodko – Impel Wroclaw, setter

Coaching and medical staff

• Jacek Nawrocki – coach
• Waldemar Kawka – assistant coach
• Błażej Kryształowicz – a cooperating trainer
• Maciej Bartodziejski – a cooperating trainer
• Rafał Gąsior – cooperating trainer
• Piotr Olenderek – cooperating trainer
• Jacek Pasiński – cooperating trainer
• Przemysław Kawka – cooperating trainer
• Eduardo Romero – trainer of physical preparation
• Radosław Wodziński – statistics
• Marcin Domżalski – leading physician
• Krzysztof Zając – doctor
• Michał Gaca – doctor
• Tomasz Stasiak – physiotherapist
• Marcin Kąkol – physiotherapist
• Agnieszka Kubacka – a physiotherapist
• Maciej Tietianiec – manager
• Hubert Tomaszewski – manager

By Position

Setters
Alicja Grabka (Legionovia), Julia Nowicka (BKS Bielsko-Biała), Marlena Pleśnierowicz (BKS Bielsko-Biała), Weronika Wołodko (Impel Wrocław)

Opposites:
Monika Bociek (Muszynianka), Martyna Łukasik (Trefl Proxima), Marta Matejko (Truso Elbląg), Malwina Smarzek(Chemik Police), Małgorzata Jasek (Legionovia – universal)

Outside Hitters:
Oliwia Bałuk (SMS Police / SMS Szczyrk), Magdalena Damaske (Legionovia), Zuzanna Górecka (Legionovia / SMS Szczyrk), Martyna Grajber (Budowlani Łódź), Natalia Mędrzyk (Chemik Police), Emilia Mucha (BKS Bielsko-Biała) , Natalia Murek (Impel Wrocław), Olivia Różański (BKS Bielsko-Biała), Julia Twardowska (Budowlani Łódź)

Central:
Klaudia Alagierska (Legionovia), Zuzanna Efimienko-Młotkowska (ŁKS Commercecon), Aleksandra Gryka(Legionovia / SMS Szczyrk), Agnieszka Kąkolewska (Budowlani Łódź), Justyna Łukasik (Trefl Proxima), Gabriela Polańska (Budowlani Łódź)

Libero:
Justyna Łysiak (PTPS Piła), Maria Stenzel (Impel Wrocław), Agata Witkowska (Budowlani Łódź)

Schedule of the Volleyball League of Nations of Women 2018:

Week I May 15-17, 2018

Lincoln, Nebraska (USA); USA, Poland , Italy, Turkey

Yekaterinburg (Russia): Russia, Argentina, the Netherlands, Thailand

Ningbo (China): China, Belgium, Dominican Republic, South Korea

Sao Pauli, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Parana (Brazil): Brazil, Japan, Germany, Serbia

Week II May 22-24, 2018

Macau: China, Poland , Thailand, Serbia

Aichi-ken (Japan): Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands, USA

Suwon (Korea): South Korea, Germany, Italy, Russia

Ankara (Turkey): Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic

Week III 29-31 May 2018

Apeldoorn (Holland): The Netherlands, Brazil, South Korea, Poland

Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kraljewo (Serbia): Serbia, Belgium, Russia, Turkey

Bangkok (Thailand): Thailand, Dominican Republic, Germany, USA

Hong Kong (China): China, Argentina, Japan, Italy

Week IV 5-7 June 2018

Bydgoszcz (Poland): Poland , Argentina, Belgium, Germany

Jangmen (China): China, Brazil, Russia, USA

Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand): Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Turkey

TBC: Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Serbia, Italy

Week V 12-14 June 2018

Wałbrzych (Poland): Dominican Republic, Japan, Poland , Russia

Stuttgart (Germany): Germany, China, the Netherlands, Turkey

Eboli (Salerno): Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Thailand

Neuquen, Santa Fe (Argentina): Argentina, South Korea, Serbia, USA

Final tournament, Nanjing (China) 27 June – 1 July 2018