Poland clobbers Brazil to boost bid

WORLD no. 1 Poland showed its might and struck down Brazil’s formidable frontline game on Friday for a 29-31, 2125, 25-20, 25-20, 15-13 victory in Week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League men’s tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Polish spikers’ smart defensive moves in the fourth set disrupted the world no. 3 Brazilian side’s offensive schemes that led to a series of errors, handing Poland its second consecutive win this week.

Cuban import Wilfredo Leon Venero, hailed as last year’s Best Outside Spiker in the FIVB World Championship, led Poland’s defense with 22 points on 20 spikes, a block and an ace.

“We pushed them to make those kinds of mistakes. So, this is volleyball, sometimes you play your best, sometimes you have your difficult moments,” said the 31-year-old Venero, who joined the Polish squad in 2019, after playing for the Cuban national team for five years.