Poland takes down Canada, zooms to quarterfinals

World No. 1 Poland continued its redemption tour with a commanding win over Canada, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, advancing to the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship quarterfinals on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Aside from a second-set hiccup, the Poles dominated the Canadians in 96 minutes, moving closer to completing a sweet revenge after finishing as runners-up to second-ranked Italy on home soil in 2022.

Kamil Semeniuk led Poland with 18 points on 15 hits and three blocks, while skipper Bartosz Kurek and Wilfredo Leon added 15 and 14 points, respectively, marking Poland’s fourth consecutive win in as many games.

Poland will face Turkey, which earlier crushed the Netherlands in the first Round of 16 match, on Wednesday for a chance to reach the Final Four.

Led by Adis Lagumdzija’s 28 points, world No. 14 Turkey staged a 27-29, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19 comeback over No. 20 Netherlands to secure its first-ever quarterfinal berth in World Championship history, surpassing its previous best of 11th place.

“This group is very aware of the challenge. We have a team of smart, highly skilled players, including those who can make an impact off the bench. And we have a coach who uses that very wisely,” said Kurek, who saw limited action in Poland’s final preliminary-round match to prepare for the playoffs.

“But we still need to adjust to the speed of play and adapt to new roles as we go deeper into the tournament. First, we have to stay healthy.”

Riding the momentum of its Pool B dominance, Poland jumped to a 12-6 lead in the first set to set the tone against world No. 9 Canada, taking it 25-18.

The Poles appeared on track for a straight-set victory, holding a 23-22 lead in the second set, before Canada rallied for a 25-23 win. That proved to be Canada’s final stand, as Poland regained its rhythm and never looked back, closing out the match with an emphatic 25-14 fourth set, highlighted by a 7-2 start.

For Canada, Sharone Vernon-Evans and Jackson Young scored 23 and 12 points, respectively, while captain Nicholas Hoag managed only seven points in the team’s Round of 16 exit, after finishing second to Turkey in Pool G.