Poland opened the third and final preliminary-round leg of the Volleyball Nations League in Chicago with a commanding straight-sets victory over Bulgaria, the reigning world vice-champions. Nikola Grbić's side controlled the match from the service line and at the net, winning 25-19, 25-17, 25-17 in 67 minutes to move closer to a spot in the Finals tournament in Ningbo (29 July to 2 August).

Lemański's all-round statement

Bartłomiej Lemański, the 217 cm middle blocker making his first national-team appearances under Grbić after a six-year absence, was the standout performer. He scored five aces on 16 serves with only one error, added four blocks, and chipped in two kills for an 11-point total and a match-best +9 efficiency rating.

“Even Wilfredo Leon, our top server, doesn't often post stats like that. Lemański looks confident on court. We wondered how he would perform as a starting middle. So far he is delivering 100 percent.”

Leon contributed two aces of his own, but it was Lemański's serving run in the third set that broke the contest open. With the score tied at 8-8, his series of tough jump serves propelled Poland on a decisive 5-0 streak to 13-8, effectively settling the set.

Dominance in every phase

Poland's block outclassed Bulgaria 13-6, while the serving advantage stood at 8-4. The attack was spread across multiple hitters: Bartłomiej Bołądź topped the scoresheet with 13 points, while Tomasz Fornal, Lemański and Leon each added 10. Fornal, speaking to Volleyball World after the match, stressed the importance of a fast start given the congested weekend schedule.

“We played very well from the first to the last point. It is never easy against Bulgaria because they serve very hard. It was extremely important to start this tournament with a win, because from Friday to Sunday we play three matches in a row.”

The win was Poland's seventh of the VNL campaign against two defeats. Bulgaria, with a 5-3 record before the match, found no rhythm after the early exchanges of each set. The Poles never trailed in any significant stretch and showed patience in transition, repeatedly converting defensive stops into quick counter-attacks.

Chicago schedule ahead

Poland face a demanding three-day finish to the preliminary phase: Brazil in the early hours of Saturday (Polish time), followed by France and the United States. With the Finals in Ningbo limited to the top seven teams plus host China, Grbić's squad need at least one more victory to be mathematically certain of qualification, though their current position and set ratio leave them well placed.

French stumble against Brazil

In the day's other fixture, Olympic champions France deepened their own qualification worries by losing 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 to Brazil. Darlan Souza starred in the closing stages of the first two sets for the South Americans, while only Stephen Boyer (10 points) and Mathis Henno (12) reached double figures for Andrea Giani's team. France now sit 12th in the VNL standings with five defeats from nine matches and must face Poland, China and Bulgaria in their remaining games. A Finals berth is still mathematically possible but requires a near-perfect finish.