"They won't play like that again." A key question before the Polish women's bronze medal match.

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The medalists in this year's Nations League were the exact same teams as last year. Even the results were similar. The Italians comfortably defeated the Polish team in three sets in both editions, allowing them to score no more than 18 points per set. Meanwhile, the fierce battle for the final between Brazil and Japan was decided by a tie-break. Unlike last year, the Canarinhas prevailed 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 15-8).

The Polish national team needs to rebuild after their very poor performance in the semi-final against Italy, but even before it became clear who they would play in the fight for the bronze medal, it was difficult to choose a preferred opponent for our team.

"We probably have different preferences depending on our position. As an attacker, I'd prefer to face the Japanese because their block is a bit lower. Agnieszka Korneluk, on the other hand, might say she prefers the Brazilians because it's harder to read the Asian team's intentions at the net; they play more in combination," Malwina Smarzek, the Polish attacker, told us right after the semifinal.

The second semifinal match between Brazil and Japan lasted significantly longer than the Polish-Italian clash, but ultimately, it was the Asian team, led by Ferhat Akbas, a well-known coach in Poland, who will be our opponent in the Nations League bronze medal match. Besides, the Japanese team has already played a total of 10 sets in Łódź! They defeated the Turkish team in a tiebreak in the quarterfinals before battling it out in five sets to advance to the grand final of the competition, where they won silver last year.

For the Polish team, this will be their fifth match against Japan under coach Stefano Lavarini. Their previous record against the Japanese team is 2-2. They lost 3-0 to them in the intercontinental round of the 2022 Nations League, but they prevailed each time last season. Once in the Nations League, and again in the first match at the Olympics, where a win proved decisive in qualifying for the knockout stage.

This season, the Polish national team faced Japan two weeks ago in the final round of the intercontinental tournament in Chiba and lost 3-1. The Asian team played an excellent match, especially defensively. "I don't think the Japanese will play another match like this in defense against us," Smarzek predicts.

The words of the Polish attacker may prove prophetic, but in the semi-final against Brazil, the Japanese team also did not allow their opponents to get on the court for most of the match, even if the pace of play on both sides was really high.

"You can't give up, even if you have to try again after the first attempt to finish an attack. As a setter, this situation isn't easy for me, when I'm delivering the ball and one or the other teammate isn't finishing the attack, so I try to find new solutions. In the bronze medal match, we have to play patiently when the balls are coming back to us, so we have to try to capitalize on that. Besides, good defense is the domain of both the Japanese and Brazilian teams, because Gabi can also work miracles in defense for the Canarinhas," notes Polish setter Katarzyna Wenerska.

The Japanese women's team has been led by Turkish coach Ferhat Akbas, a well-known player in Poland, since this year. The 39-year-old coach spent two seasons at Chemik Police (2019-21). Currently, his team's leaders include wingers Yukiko Wada and Mayu Ishikawa, sister of the men's national team star, Yuki. The Japanese will also face the Poles, but in the quarterfinals of the Nations League finals, which begins Wednesday in Ningbo. The Polish national team will play their match on Thursday. Interestingly, the men's team could face the Japanese in the quarterfinals of the September World Cup. The Polish women also had a test before a crucial match at the World Cup, which begins in less than a month, as the bracket suggests they could face Italy, whom they lost to in the semifinals in Łódź, in the fight for the top four. However, the Polish women's volleyball players emphasize that they are not looking too far ahead.

"We need to improve our game significantly, not only for the World Championships, but especially ahead of Sunday's Nations League bronze medal match. We need to focus on our game and believe we can win. We're playing in front of our home crowd, and that's a big plus, so I'm optimistic," emphasizes Poland's striker Magdalena Stysiak.

The Poland-Japan Nations League bronze medal match is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM on Sunday. At 8:00 PM, Brazil will face Italy in the final. This will be the Canarinhas' fourth final and a chance to win their first gold medal in the competition's history. The Italians, meanwhile, are hoping for a repeat of their 2022 and 2024 gold medals.