Defending champions Poland moved to within one win of another Volleyball Nations League crown with an emphatic 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-17) shutout of Slovenia in the first semifinal in Ningbo Beilun, China, on Saturday, powered by six aces from Wilfredo Leon.
The world's top-ranked side never looked back in front of nearly five thousand fans, cruising through a one-sided opening set before closing the match without dropping a set. Leon, Poland's star outside hitter, was at the heart of everything: alongside his six aces he landed eight kills and two kill blocks to finish as the match's top scorer with 16 points. Opposite Bartlomiej Boladz added 15 points, including two blocks and an ace.
Poland outplayed Slovenia in every scoring category, leading 9-3 in aces, 12-6 in kill blocks and 35-25 in spike kills. Slovenia's 40-year-old middle blocker Alen Pajenk was the only player on his side to reach double figures, with 11 points.
The result sends Poland into their fourth VNL final. They lifted the title in 2023 and 2025 and lost the 2021 showpiece; on Sunday they will face the United States, who edged Japan in a five-set thriller in the second semifinal. Slovenia will take on Japan in the bronze medal match.
"It's not always you can win 3-0 in the semifinals," Leon told VBTV. "We also dominated in each of the three sets. It's not that easy, so you will not play this kind of a match every day. I hope there will be more (aces) in the final."
Slovenia's outside hitter Rok Mozic acknowledged the gap between the sides: "When Leon is spiking over the block, you cannot do anything. We knew we would suffer a lot in attack, because they are one of the best blocking teams and that's what happened. The medal is the only goal that we have, so we'll give everything we have to win it."
Both the bronze medal match and the final will be played on Sunday in Ningbo.
Sources
