Poland's 3-0 win marked the first time Serbia did not win a single set in 12 World Championship matches
Warsaw, Poland, August 30, 2014 – Poland’s best scorer Michal Winiarski led his team to a dream opening match win over Serbia 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) on the first day of action at the 2014 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship Poland 2014.
Key Points
- Hosts Poland beat Serbia 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) in the opening match of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship
- Poland’s captain Michal Winiarski was the best scorer with 38 points for his side while Atanasijevic Aleksandar of Serbia scored 42
- Poland won their opening match at a World Championship for the fourth time in a row (2002-2006-2010-2014)
- Poland have now won all six World Championship meetings with Serbia, all with a 3-1 or 3-0 scorelineSerbia began the match stongly maintaining a slight lead in the first stage of the set despite the strong presence of the Polish supporters at the National Stadium in Warsaw. But following two unforced errors, Poland regained control taking the lead for the first time (8-7), remaining unstoppable after that with a 13-10, 17-13 and finally the set at 25-19.
The second set started well for Poland with middle blocker Karol Klos scoring the first two points. The hosts gained a four-point advantage at 6-2, increasing it soon after to nine points at 14-5. Serbia struggled to catch up (16-9 at the second TTO) with Poland dominating in every element, eventually attaining victory in the second set 25-18, taking a 2-0. With captain Michal Winiarski spiking efficiency of 77 percent and Mateusz Mika's 85 percent reception, the Poland were unstoppable.
Poland wasted no time in taking an early lead in the third set (8-4 at the first TTO, then 10-5). Although the Serbians refused to give up and fought for every ball, the hosts maintained their advantage and stayed far ahead of the competition throughout the set (16-11, 21-14) eventually closing the set 25-17.