The Poland National Team entered the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League with ambition. A squad packed with the likes of Julia Szczurowska and Aleksandra Szczyglowska were bronze medal winners last year, and wanted to improve on that, but that dream came to an end after their loss to Japan. They finished the tournament with a 7-5 record and failed to qualify for the Top 8. While their tournament was disappointing, Poland did have a big win, which came against the US National Team, who are ranked Number. 1 in the world.

However, they also needed a win against Japan, but the home side put on a show in front of their fans to grab a  stunning 3-2 (20-25, 14-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-13) victory over Poland to book a place in the next round of the Volleyball Nations League Finals in China. Facing elimination after losing the opening two sets, the hosts shifted the trajectory of the match with fearless play. Meanwhile, Poland’s run of three straight VNL bronze medals ended after falling short when it mattered most.

In a clip shared on X, the Polish were in tears after losing to Japan. It was an emotional day for the Polish team, as entry into the next round would have been within reach if they had kept their momentum from the first two sets. After the win against USA, it seemed like they were back on track, but they faltered against Brazil as well, which put them in a tough situation against Japan, who showed resilience to take the win.

The Japanese squad took control through a 68-56 edge in spike kills and a 6-2 advantage in aces.

Poland were brilliant in the first two sets. Although things didn’t end well, they had a massive 16-2 advantage in kill blocks while keeping mistakes lower at 23-29.

“In the first two sets, we thought that we had everything under control, but then Japan started playing much better, while we made some mistakes and could not finish off our attacks,” Poland’s Julita Piasecka said. “I don’t want to say that we were frustrated, but we collapsed a little bit. In the end, it’s a really huge loss for us, so of course, the emotions are bad right now.”

It’s safe to say that Stephano Laravini’s team’s effort wasn’t enough to let them defeat Japan. What’s even more interesting is the fact that the same Polish squad pinned down the USA in a five-set game. But after that win, everything went wrong for the European side.

Poland took down the USA

On July 9, Poland edged the United States 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12) in a hard-fought VNL clash. Even after the defeat, the Americans remained on top of the standings. The Polish side finished ahead in kills at 75-63, while the US answered with a 16-8 edge in blocks, a 4-3 lead in aces, and forced 22 errors against 17 of their own.

Meanwhile, Simone Lee-Wank scored 15 points. Molly McCage added 14 with 4 kills, 3 aces, and a match-high 7 blocks. Stephanie Samedy had 14, Logan Eggleston 14, O’Neal 13, Jordan Thompson 8, Madi Kubik Banks 3, and Micha Hancock finished with a kill and a block.

Things did not turn out the way the Polish National Team would’ve liked at the 2026 VNL. Piled-up defeats and failed attempts at bouncing back didn’t help them. And now, they have to wait for the next edition to make a complete comeback.