Special words from the Polish representative. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here"

By winning the World Championship in the U-19 youth team (2021) or silver in the Polish team at the U-21 European Championship (2022), we can certainly look to the future with hope, already in the senior category.

Kajetan Kubicki, because that's his volleyball path, blazed his first trail in the PlusLiga in the now defunct KGHM Cuprum Lubin (currently based in Gorzów Wielkopolski, under the name Cuprum Stilon). The 2024/25 season, at the age of 22, was spent in the ranks of ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. It was there that he had the opportunity to share the locker room with great champions such as Bartosz Kurek and Marcin Janusz.

Kubicki, now a member of the Polish senior national team, spoke about his older, titled colleagues – and even his friend – in an interview with “Wprost”. Although this is not the only topic that the talented playmaker touched on.

Interview with Kajetan Kubicki, the setter of the Polish national volleyball team

Maciej Piasecki (WPROST): The Polish national team in its youth version is nothing new to you. And what are the first impressions of Kajetan Kubicki in the senior version, already at the national team training camp?

Kajetan Kubicki (ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Polish national team setter): This is something completely new. I know I had contact with the youth national team, but I wouldn't say it's the same experience. For example, the dynamics of the entire training camp, the volleyball players who come here are simply the best in the country. Because of this, the level of training is completely different.

I definitely feel very honored and I'm trying to get the most out of this training camp.

The 2025 national team season is also a time when you can win a lot. The team has finished the Olympic Games, and there may be some changes in a few positions. I don't want to make any declarations about taking over the reins of the "number one" team, but do you feel that this is a good time to fight even harder for your place?

I think that an athlete should have such a "mindset". If I wasn't confident, I don't think I would be where I am. I come here primarily with the attitude to get the most out of it. To learn a lot from the players around me or even from the coach, who, as you know, was a great quarterback. I try to move a step forward every day.

We'll see what the future holds. For now, I'm thinking about the here and now. I'm trying to be a little better every day.

Journalists had the opportunity to see a snippet of your preparations, observing training under the watchful eye of coach Nikola Grbić. Does the coach often give advice, like a playmaker to a playmaker?

At the moment, it's also a difficult moment for the coach, because he's just getting to know us all. He has a lot of new players, so he tries to divide his time a little. To devote at least a little to everyone who showed up at the training camp. But yes. We exchanged a few words, every comment he made is very valuable. If he points out anything, I try to change it, according to the instructions.

Of course it won't happen straight away, progress needs time, but I'm trying, because when coach Nikola Grbic says something, I know it will be better. I try to be guided by that.

Is Marcin Janusz the best club mate in your position with whom you had the opportunity to play in the same team?

Yes. I have a very good relationship with Marcin and I think that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. Apart from the obvious fact that he won't be with us in the national team this year - and in fact one place has become vacant. But the work we did in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, where we simply had a great time, it wasn't a rivalry where one wanted to show, prove something to the other.

It was a competition full of support. I felt it and I hope Marcin felt it too. So all I can do is thank him for this season, because he made me take a step forward as an athlete and a person.

So I met a friend of Kajetan Kubicki's on-pitch?

I think so. We have a special relationship. We like to laugh together, joke around. I would call him a friend because he is someone close to me.

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I'll ask about Bartosz Kurek. A legend of Polish and even world volleyball. How does it feel to have "Kuraś" in the same locker room as a teammate?

At first, there are definitely thoughts like: Damn, this is Bartek Kurek after all. He's not some ordinary player, but the greatest legend of Polish volleyball. At first, this nervousness and, let's say, pressure, was on me and other young players.

But Bartek is such a great person that he immediately took the pressure off us, showing what kind of character he is. He showed that he is easy-going, you can joke with him. You couldn't see the age difference, if you compare his contact with me or older players. That definitely helped a lot.

I also have a special relationship with Bartek and I would like to greet him, because I am waiting… for a ping-pong rematch (laughter).

And what is the status of this competition? Kurek in the lead?

I won't say how it is exactly, because Bartek will soon say that it is in his favor, and I will start convincing him that it is in my favor (laughter).

Let's say that with each match our level increases. Whoever has a better day in a given match wins. So I would rate this competition as 50/50.

Let's get back to volleyball. Andrea Giani, we know this man from many successes, both as a volleyball player and as a coach. ZAKSA looked like a team that matured as the season progressed. How is the cooperation with a coach who is, among other things, a two-time Olympic champion in the role of coach of the French national team?

I think that first of all, coach Giani had a plan for our team. We tried to execute his assumptions. Over time, we did better. But let's say that this idea was still working, day by day. That's why over time, our game was getting better and better, as we got used to his system.

Coach Andrea also created such a great atmosphere where the training sessions were pure pleasure and fun. There was no such thing as someone coming to training and feeling forced to be there. We had a really great group of fourteen guys and we just had a great time. I think that made us go quite far throughout the season. We really almost made it to the semi-finals.

Of course, looking through the prism of time, we regret and it hurts us that we did not make it to the top four, because Bogdanka LUK Lublin is doing great and it is possible that it will end up with a gold medal (interview conducted on Tuesday, i.e. 6 May, note by eMPe). However, we have done great work in Kędzierzyn-Koźle during these nine months.

At the end of the season, coach Andrea told us that the most important thing for him was that he got 100% from us every day. That was also very important.

Your playing, or rather mainly episodes in a season, is not a problem? It is no secret that regardless of position, only regular appearances make a volleyball player progress.

When I came to ZAKSA, I had my assumption. I knew that many experts would say that a young and promising playmaker needs to play. And he has to go somewhere where he will actually have such an opportunity. I agree with that, of course.

However, I made the decision that after two seasons in Lubin, I needed to go to an environment where there would be players who had won something big in their careers. Who know how to lead their careers to reach that peak. And I was lucky enough to come across many such players in ZAKSA colors. The aforementioned Bartek and Marcin, as well as Erik Shoji and David Smith.

I simply wanted to soak in a bit of this mentality, how I should behave every day, how to manage my career and what to look for. The same applies to the coach, I chose Andrea Giani with conviction. Knowing what a class coach he is and I also needed that, so that despite everything I could maybe take two steps back, but learn as much as possible and in the future it will pay off. I will add that it was not a decision made overnight, I thought hard about this particular step with choosing ZAKSA.

I felt great in Kędzierzyn-Koźle. We had everything we needed. We could only focus on playing volleyball. The Kędzierzyn community itself was very kind to us. And I'm not just talking about our Fan Club, which was with us in good and bad moments. But even when we went shopping, anywhere in the city, people would come up to us and ask about the situation at the club, if we needed anything, etc. I'm very grateful for that, because it was something new for me and I felt very good in that environment.

Do you sometimes think back to the quarter-final with Bogdanka LUK Lublin? You were very close to reaching the semi-final, but your opponents turned out to be better. I ask about this especially in the context of what the Lublin team achieved later.

I try not to think back, not to speculate. That's not a good thing either. I think it was close, but that day Bogdanka LUK was simply better than us. I don't know what would have happened if our captain had played in that match. But if such situations arise, injuries or some absences in the team, you have to deal with what you have. Bogdanka LUK beat us in the quarter-finals , and I can only congratulate them on how well they're doing this season.

So, in the end, regardless of your club future, will ZAKSA fight for a medal next season?

I have no idea.

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