World no. 1 Poland sweeps Romania to begin redemption bid in FIVB Worlds

Poland proved why it's the world's top men's volleyball team, cruising to a 34-32, 25-15, 25-19 win against Romania in the 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The world no. 1 squad overcame a slow start before pulling away to secure a straight-sets victory, kicking off their Pool B campaign on a high note in their quest for redemption, while world no. 22 Romania fell to 0-1.

Wilfredo Leon was in top form, leading the charge with 14 points built on 11 attacks, two aces, and one block. Veteran Bartosz Kurek also chipped in with 13 markers.

Despite the sweep, Poland had to survive a tense opening set, with Romania forcing a 32-all deadlock in the extended frame. Kurek broke the tie with a kill, and Jakub Kochanowski followed it up with an ace to seal the set.

From there, it was all Poland. Leon blasted one from the left wing to stretch the lead to 20-14, and Kewin Sasak fired from the back row for a 23-18 cushion.

Szymon Jakubiszak’s cross-court hammer brought Poland to match point, before Kamil Semeniuk closed it out with an ace from the service line.

The win gave Poland a much-needed strong start as they look to avenge their silver-medal finish in the 2022 edition, where they fell to Italy in the final.

However, team captain Kurek was quick to temper expectations, saying it’s too early to talk about medals and emphasizing the importance of taking it one game at a time.

“It’s way too fast to speak about the medals. First, we have to focus on the group to advance. Every game is super important for the seeding, for the confidence,” Kurek said.

“I’m happy that we started the tournament like we did. The first set wasn’t easy, though, but I think we played it under control.”

In the other game, the Netherlands overcame a Set 3 hiccup to grind out a 25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 25-23 win over Qatar.

Despite missing star Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Michiel Ahyi led the way with 20 points on 14 attacks, three blocks, and three aces. Tom Koops and Bennie Tuinstra added 17 and 15 markers, respectively.

With the win, the Netherlands joined Poland at 1-0 in Pool B, while Qatar slipped to 0-1.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News