Toyama, Japan, September 18, 2015 – Poland defeated Australia 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-17) in the FIVB World Cup at Toyama City Gymnasium on Friday.
Poland coach Stephane Antiga: We played a very serious game. We played especially good in service, which was one element we’ve been working on in the few opportunities of training we’ve had here. And almost everybody played. I’m very happy with our three games in Toyama and I think we are ready for the next round in Tokyo, which is very important.
(Re. Japan): I saw Japan play in Poland a few weeks ago and they played good, so I know they are able to play at a high level. And that’s been confirmed as they’ve won many games. I know it will be difficult, so I won’t be surprised and will prepare well. We’re not just thinking about USA and Italy, but also thinking about the game against Japan.
Poland captain Michal Kubiak: We’re very happy we won today’s game. We did what was necessary to do and we’re happy to have eight wins before the final phase in Tokyo; that’s the important thing. In our next game, we will face one of the best teams in the world but we are not afraid of them and we’re going to Tokyo to win this competition.
Australia coach Roberto Santilli: Today we just watched a senior team against a junior team. Of course, they had a big defence, especially on serve and reception. We tried to let some guys play who normally don’t play a lot. We did what we could. Of course, we cannot be satisfied but we have to look at our target which is the next three games. We just have to turn the page and focus on the next three games.
Australia captain Thomas Edgar: Poland are a world-class team and they played at a very high level against us tonight. Unfortunately, we were forced into playing a lot of high-ball situations, which is very difficult against a strong team with a big block. We made our own job very tough. Our focus has to switch now to three very important games in Tokyo to round out this tournament. We need to play well not only against Iran, but also against the other two opponents, so I hope we can finish the tournament on a high and keep improving for the future.