Lodz, Poland, June 1, 2018 – Poland put up a tremendous defensive effort against France to win in straight sets at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Friday.
Poland coach Vital Heynen: “I think my guys played a very good match. The second set we had a very nice comeback. We had good defence. France would normally be better than Poland in this aspect, but today our block and defence were very good. I think we won with these elements. It’s very interesting to win against France with defence.
“We have a lot of guys like Sliwka, Drzyzga and Konarski coming in and I always emphasize that they are also very important. They did a very good job today. We are a team and it’s everybody’s win. We have to keep calm because we cannot be so good after three weeks of play. We have to feel good in our heads, but those moments that we will feel down will come.
“It’s better to start the Volleyball Nations League with four victories than with four losses. I am happy because the fans showed up and we showed them that we could play. Guys like Kubiak, Kurek, Konarski, Drzyzga showed on the court that we need them.”
Poland player Bartosz Kurek: “I didn’t realise there will be so much pressure when I entered the court. I think it’s a positive thing. The atmosphere was great, nobody wanted us to stop winning and we fought hard all the time. France were not with their strongest roster but a victory against them is always good. We had a problem playing at the highest level in the last two years but we have improved since then.”
France coach Laurent Tillie: “Congratulations to Poland. They played very well and put a lot of pressure on us. We were too nervous. We made small mistakes in the end that were crucial to winning the match. Poland were a very solid team. They have great possibilities and make a lot of changes, which is a good direction. We were a little bit afraid today. If we want to play well then we need to relax. Poland is the best place to play volleyball and we love coming back to this country.”
France player Thibault Rossard: “Poland were better tonight, especially in service. We made a lot of mistakes and they were very good. If we play this way, it will be difficult to win a game. Poland blocked well today.”