Poland-France FIVB Nations League game a must-watch for Pinoy fans

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino volleyball fans are in for a treat as the FIVB Nations League is being televised live in the Philippines via the Premier Sports channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as the on TapGo TV streaming application.

On Wednesday, June 7, two huge matches are on deck — Slovenia versus Serbia at 2 p.m. and Poland versus France at 5 p.m.

However, the must-watch for fans is the 5 p.m. battle between Poland and France. Poland is the top-ranked squad in the world by FIVB while France is third.

In FIVB-sanctioned matches, both have played one another 31 times with France owning a slight edge in wins, 16-15.

However, in Nations League play, both are even at 2-2 with Poland winning the last match during the 2022 Nations League tourney, 3-1.

Poland is currently second in the ongoing FIVB Men’s Nations League Volleyball Tournament with a 10-2 slate — tied with Italy and the United States but second in the standings owing to set ratio.

The Poles will be tested by a dangerous French team who are currently in fourth spot with a 9-3 slate.

Poland is led by Bartosz Kurek and Kamil Semeniuk who have scored 134 and 104 points, respectively. Playmaker Marcin Janusz has 121 excellent sets to his name versus three errors. 

France, on the other hand, has an attacking trio that gives opposing defenders problems in Ervin Ngapeth, Jean Patry and Barthelemy Chinenyeze, who collectively have 376 points. That is a luxury for setter Antoine Briard, who is currently the sixth best setter in the tournament with 241 excellent sets as opposed to only four errors.

The 2023 FIVB Nations League is from May 30 to July 16.