Kamil Semeniuk erupted for 18 points in his best game of the tournament, powering world no. 1 Poland past Canada and into the 2025 FIVB Men's World Championship quarterfinals.
World no. 1 Poland proved its might once again, dispatching Canada in four sets, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship on Saturday, September 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Leading the charge was outside hitter Kamil Semeniuk, who delivered his best outing of the tournament with 18 points built on 15 attacks and three blocks.
For Semeniuk, who had his third start for Poland in the World Championship, the key was simply staying true to what he’s been building in practice.
“I try to just transfer everything, what I prepared on the practice to the court when I have possibility to play in the match, so this is the recipe,” he said.
“Nothing special, I think.”
The 29-year-old spiker's steady presence gave Poland the edge, especially in the third and fourth sets where the Canadians struggled to keep pace with the reigning VNL champions.
Despite the convincing finish though, Semeniuk admitted Canada always makes for a tough challenge.
“All the time when we play against Canada, it’s tough like today,” he said. “So to be honest, we are really happy we won without tiebreak and we’re still in the tournament, we’re in the quarterfinals.”
[ALSO READ: After upsets in FIVB MWCH, Poland wary of ‘surprises’: ‘We didn’t want to join this club’]
With Poland drawing loud cheers from the Manila crowd, Semeniuk also expressed his gratitude to Filipino fans.
“Thank you for the support and I hope you will be still with us in the next game and until the end,” he said.
Poland now advances to the quarterfinals, where it continues its quest to return to the podium after a runner-up finish in 2022.
Up next for Semeniuk and the Polish squad is world no. 14 Turkiye on Wednesday, September 24.
[ALSO READ: Yenipazar draws inspiration from Polish wife ahead of Turkiye’s quarterfinal clash with Poland]
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.