"Thank you!" Interview with Bartosz Kurek (former Wolfdogs Nagoya, Poland national team player)

The first match of the quarterfinals of the playoffs of the Polish Men's Volleyball League (Przlyga) took place on Saturday, March 29th, with Kędzierzyn Kozile (commonly known as Saksa), ranked 5th in the regular season, defeating Lublin, ranked 4th, 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19).

After the match, we spoke with Bartosz Kurek (formerly of Wolfdogs Nagoya, currently playing for Saksa and representing Poland), who scored 22 points and was named MVP.

T: Congratulations on your first playoff win.

Kulek: I'm happy to win the game, but this victory alone doesn't mean anything. It's still the first game of the playoffs and Lublin is a great team. They showed their potential by winning against Civitanova (the Coppa Italia winners) (in the recent CEV Challenge Cup final). They will come prepared again at home in Kędzierzyn and we'll have to be ready to face them. If we're not prepared, we'll struggle at home.

T: How is your condition right now?

Kurek: Well, it's not good. But I think all the teams have the same problems. We have injuries, some teams have infections and viruses. It's been like that here all season. But as I said, Lublin will have some health problems, and we have our own problems. But on top of that, it's going to be decided on the court.

T: Which do you prefer, Poland's long home-and-away playoffs or Japan's short playoffs (championships)?

Kurek: Honestly, I like both. They have different advantages. But I grew up watching volleyball in Poland, and I like the long playoffs, the quarterfinals, the semifinals, the finals ...

T: Finally, could you give a message to your Japanese fans, in Japanese, haha?

Kurek: I can't speak Japanese, sorry. My brain isn't working well, so I've forgotten all my Japanese. But to all the fans, everyone who supports me, Zaksa, and the Polish League. (In Japanese) Thank you. I've also been officially selected for the Polish national team this year, so I'm looking forward to seeing you this summer. I think it's going to be a great summer. I wish you all the best.

Photo: PlusLiga.pl, TOSHIKI