November 29, 2006, Sendai, Japan: Poland finished top of Pool E and kept their unbeaten record with a straight sets victory over Serbia-Montenegro on Wednesday.
The Poles won 28-26, 25-19, 25-19 against an off-form Serbia-Montenegro, who lost their first match of the tournament. Both teams had already qualified for the semifinals.
Still buzzing from the previous day's miraculous five-set comeback against Russia, Poland started brightly and entered the first TTO with an 8-6 lead.
They were once again supported by a large contingent of Polish supporters who created a brilliant atmosphere at Sendai City Gymnasium.
That wave of support pushed into Poland increasing their lead to three points by the time of the second TTO.
Mariusz Wlazly crashed in a massive spike from the right to put the lead at 17-15, but a clever dink from Ivan Miljkovic tied the scores at 17-17 before he put his team ahead for the first time with a well-directed sliced spike.
Poland came back, though, and Lukasz Kadziewicz stood up to Miljkovic at the net and blocked the star-spiker's smash to give his team a two-point lead at 20-18.
Nicola Grbic made things all square at 22-22 with a clever fake at the net before Andrija Geric's serve proved too strong for Poland and the lead changed again.
Poland then saved three set points before getting their own when Daniel Plinski pulled of a big block at the net, but that was saved by Serbia-Montenegro. Wlazly gave the Poles another set point, though, and it was his block on Vladimir Grbic that gave them the set, 28-26.
Poland's young attacking triumvirate of Wlazly, Plinski and Sebastian Swiderski were causing problems for the Serbia-Montenegro team at the start of the second set and this, coupled with a wayward serve from Geric, meant the Poles went into the first TTO 8-5 ahead.
Miljkovic was still a threat for Serbia-Montenegro, though, and his sliced spike put the score at 10-7 Poland before they increased the lead by two more, forcing coach Igor Kolakovic to call a time out.
It didn't do much good. The Poles were relentless in their attacks and advanced to the second TTO six-points ahead after a mistake from Goran Vujevic at the net.
There was no let up from the Poles as Swiderski blocked Miljkovic to make the score 19-13 and then Kadziewicz crashed in another, but Serbia-Montenegro staged a mini-comeback from which meant coach Raul Lozano called a TO when it was 20-16 to his team.
A huge Swiderski block on Miljkovic gave Poland a five-point advantage again and he restored that lead at 22-17 with a big spike down the middle before Wlazly brought set point with a crashing spike from the right.
Kolakovic called a TO has he tried to rouse his troops, but it didn't work as Geric lazily served into the net to gift the set to Poland, 25-19.
Wlazly was on fire at the start of the third set, leaping unbelievably high before letting go of some punishing spikes and the Poles went into the first TTO 8-4 ahead after Winiarski's spike clipped the fingers of a Serbia-Montenegro player.
Serbia-Motenegro were stung into action and drew level at 10-10, but Winiarski came steaming down the middle for a huge spike to restore Poland's lead before two spikes from Miljkovic gave his team the lead for the first time, at 12-11.
Poland would not lie down, though, and the unfortunate Vujevic made a mistake before seeing his spike blocked and the opposition were suddenly three-points ahead.
Serbia-Motenegro were now in disarray and when a simple serve was messed up and not returned, the second TTO arrived with Poland four ahead.
Vujevic was wayward once again with a spike to give Poland a 20-16 lead and he was blocked again as the Poles pulled five clear. He then served into the net. It just wasn't his day.
And neither was it his teammates'. As the Polish crowd went crazy, match point arrived courtesy of a bad serve from Marko Podrascanin and a long spike from Geric gave Poland the match.
