WARSAW, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Poland's national women's volleyball team returned to play after a coronavirus-enforced hiatus to beat Czech Republic 3-1 in Walbrzych, Poland on Tuesday.
Jacek Nawrocki's side had waited 171 days to return to action after the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marta Ziolkowska, Weronika Centka and Martyna Swierad made their national team debuts as the coach gave opportunities for less experienced players to prove their quality.
The hosts imposed dominance from the very beginning and won the match 25-14, 25-19, 25-19.
Both teams agreed to play an additional set after Poland's victory was confirmed, allowing the Czechs to win a consolation set 26-24.
Polish Volleyball Association (PZPS) chairman Jacek Kasprzyk expressed his satisfaction at seeing the national team play once again.
"I hope we will play more and more matches. Romania and Slovenia wanted to come to play friendly games against us, but they gave up due to the coronavirus outbreak. It's hard to find an opponent as just a few national teams in Europe have started training this year," Kasprzyk told Polish media.
The match was played behind closed doors, with another scheduled for Wednesday. Enditem
