Poland cap triumphal march with #EuroVolleyU18M title

With nine straight wins in as many matches, Poland deservedly crowned themselves the #EuroVolleyU18M champions for 2026. They did so in style even though they had to come back from one set down in the final match with titleholders France – which they eventually claimed by 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-21). Poland had finished the 2024 edition of this same competition in third place. The young players coached by Jacek Nawrocki showed much composure and resilience to mount a comeback, responding to France’s captain Matteo Mrozek with a display of physical strength, especially through their star player Karol Leppert and top scorer Adam Potempa. 

France, winners of Pool II in Cisterna di Latina and coming from a 3-2 semi-final victory over hosts Italy, stand on the podium in this age group for the third straight edition after winning silver in 2022 and gold in 2024. 

After losing a very close semi to France on Friday night, hosts Italy failed to regroup for the bronze medal match. They eventually had to be content with fourth place with Bulgaria cruising to a comprehensive 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-23) win. The Azzurrini could not display their best performance in any of the three sets. Bulgaria impressed with as many as 18 blocks and the 17 points scored by Nikola Gradinarov. With this result, Italy failed to claim a medal in this age group for the first time since the 2013 edition.  

“Last night my players gave everything they had in the semi-final with France and that setback was a major blow,” commented Italy coach Vincenzo Fanizza. “We tried to regroup and mobilise all the energy left in the tank. However, there are no excuses, as we have to acknowledge Bulgaria’s quality. I nevertheless would like to congratulate my players and their clubs for the hard work they put into this competition. I cannot say that I am happy with the fourth place, since we did not win a medal, but I am sure that by working hard we will eventually take what was lost this evening.” 

Dream Team 

Libero: Corentin Agnese (France)
Middle blockers: Marcel Biernikowicz (Poland), Adrian Ganev (Bulgaria)
Setter: Jakub Przybylkowicz (Poland) 
Outside Hitters: Matteo Mrozek (France), Nikola Gradinarov (Bulgaria)
Opposite: Adam Potempa (Poland) 
MVP: Jakub Przybylkowicz (Poland)