Opole, Poland, May 23, 2019 – Poland claimed a three-set win against Thailand in their final match in Opole in the opening week of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

Poland player Natalia Mędrzyk: “We are very happy about this win. We had some problems with finishing balls, because Thailand are great in defence. The more we played on high ball, the more they could save. However, it was very important that in the second set we started to serve better, so they started struggling and we were able to finish our plays. No one likes to play against Thailand, and with Asian teams in general, because they play difficult volleyball with many combinations. We faced them a few times before, so we knew what we could expect. It’s a great opening of the VNL – two wins and one tie-break.”

Poland coach Jacek Nawrocki: “We opened this game nervously, because we lost a few points in reception. Later, we started to play well on the net. We played against Thailand before and it gave us some advantage. We had adapted to their style and it was not a big problem for us this time. We played fine under pressure. We missed a few balls in reception and we were not able to attack, but I think it’s still a matter of team integration. We tried many options and later it all started to work well, but this is normal in volleyball. We are happy about these seven points gained during this week, but it’s a pity that we didn’t manage to defeat Italy, because wins are the most important in the VNL.”

Thailand captain Nootsara Tomkom: “It was a tough match for us, but that’s what we had expected. The Polish players gave a great performance and played really powerful volleyball tonight. We tried to fight, but they were too strong for us. Moreover, the Poles are taller than us, which makes them even more efficient in block. It was their main power and helped them a lot. I think that in a few years Poland can be a top team in world, because they still improve their play and have many young and talented players.”

Thailand coach Danai Sriwacharamaytakul: “It is really hard to play against a top level opponent like the national team of Poland. The Poles are really tall and that was a huge problem for us. Also their block worked well tonight, so that made a difference. Anyway, we won one game in Poland and we are satisfied. We are happy that we had an opportunity to visit this country and play in front of these fantastic fans. We take only positive memories from Poland.”

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