Poland win Volleyball Nations League gold

Poland's men's volleyball team won the Volleyball Nations League title for the first time after beating the United States 25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18 in Gdansk on Sunday.

Opposite Lukasz Kaczmarek was the undisputed hero for the home side, scoring a match-high 25 points, while Torrey Defalco earned 14 points for the United States.

In a tight opening set, Poland held a 15-13 lead thanks to two aces by outside hitter Wilfredo Leon, but the U.S., led by John Speraw, narrowed the deficit to one point at 20-19, and saved two set points before committing errors while serving to grant the opponents a 25-23 win.

Poland, silver medalists at the 2022 FIVB Men's World Championship, seemed to stay on the right track, taking a 16-11 lead in the second set. The U.S. managed to level the scoresheet after sending receiver Aaron Russell on before David Smith spiked for 25-24 and a successful block gave them an equalizing set.

The hosts then turned the pace to take control of the game, with 29-year-old Kaczmarek, who played one of his best matches for the national team, leading the team to build a safe 20-13 advantage, from where they never looked back.

It was Jakub Kochanowski who closed the game with an effective block, and Poland won the fourth set 25-18 to secure the first Volleyball Nations League title in their history.

Earlier in the day, Japan took bronze after beating Italy in a five-set thriller, 25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25, 15-9.