Poland's Michal Kubiak celebrates in their match against Canada at the Men's World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan, May 28, 2016 - Poland captain Michal Kubiak felt relief that even though his team did not perform well as expected, the most important is that they still managed to win the match; while Canada captain Rudy Verhoeff observed that their opponents won as they served better and gave his team more pressure.
Poland coach Stephane Antiga: “This was a very important victory. We knew Canada would play better than last year. We studied the video. Their opposite was good on serves and spikes. We really had to play well to win. I'm happy about the character of my players. That is very important in this kind of tournament.”
Poland captain Michal Kubiak: “We are extremely happy to win the first match and get closer to our dream. We did not play as good as expected, but we won. Victory is the most important thing.”
Poland player Mateusz Bieniek: “The first match in every tournament is always stressful. We will continue our march to get the Olympic qualification.”
Canada coach Glenn Hoag: “Poland played better in the fifth set. They served and received better. I'm proud of the way my guys played. Gavin Schmitt is back from two surgeries and it was great to see him out on the court. I'm happy to have him back and hope he can play volleyball for many more years.”
Canada captain Rudy Verhoeff: “At the end of the day, Poland served and received better in the fifth set and this was the most important factor. Their serve pressure paid off. I'm happy with our resiliency but not satisfied with the result. We did get one point in this match, which is good.”