Poland upset Serbia in a five-set semifinal marathon at the 2015 European Games on June 25, winning 3-2 (25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13) to earn a historic place in the women’s volleyball final. Led by the towering attacking of Katarzyna Skowrońska, Poland won a high-pressure tiebreaker and sent Serbia to the bronze medal match.

Match Overview

The match was a rollercoaster, with both sides taking alternate sets and trading long scoring runs. Poland won the first set thanks to a 6-0 run near the end, but Serbia answered by dominating the second set with aggressive serving. Poland regained the rhythm in the third, then Serbia appeared in control in the fourth, forcing a decisive fifth set. In that final frame, Poland showed remarkable nerve, saving one match point before Skowrońska hammered the winning kill at 15-13.

Key Moments

• Third-set breakaway: Poland used a 7-2 run to take a 17-13 lead, with Anna Werblińska serving two aces to force a Serbian timeout.
• Fifth-set drama: Serbia led 10-7 before Poland clawed back with three straight points, including a block on Milena Rašić.
• Final points: Skowrońska scored five of Poland’s final eight points, showing why she was the team’s go-to player in clutch moments.

Tactical Story

Poland’s passing held up under Serbia’s powerful jump serves, allowing setter Agnieszka Wołosz to run a fast offense. Poland used Skowrońska back-row attacks to score in transition, keeping Serbia’s block honest. Serbia relied heavily on Brankica Mihajlović and Tijana Bošković, but Poland’s out-of-system defense frequently turned their hard swings into free balls. Poland’s serving also made a difference: they finished with nine aces compared to Serbia’s five, and they served more aggressively in the final set.

Standout Players

Skowrońska was the undisputed star, finishing with 28 points and a .340 attack average. Werblińska added 15 points, providing essential support from the opposite left-side hitter position. W stronę Polski, libero Barbara Sikora had a strong defensive performance, reading Serbia’s tactics well. For Serbia, Bošković had 22 points, but she also committed four attack errors in the decisive fifth set. Mihajlović scored 18 points, though she was forced into difficult angles by Poland’s block.

Impact

Reaching the European Games final was a major achievement for Poland, who had entered the tournament unseeded. The win over Serbia also set up a rematch with Turkey in the final, where Poland would ultimately fall 0-3. For Serbia, the loss was their first of the tournament, and they later rebounded to beat Azerbaijan for the bronze medal. The semifinal would stand as one of the most memorable matches of the 2015 tournament.