Agnieszka Korneluk - the 2-meter 'pole' that can make Vietnamese women's volleyball team fear

The Polish women's volleyball team is not short of stars. But the most prominent is middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk.

Her 2 meter height makes Agnieszka Korneluk a nightmare for her opponents - Photo: WESZLO

Korneluk's most outstanding feature is his height of up to 2 meters and impressive football playing ability.

Block without jumping

According to the regulations of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the net height of women's volleyball is 2.24 meters, 19cm lower than that of men's volleyball. Therefore, athletes who are between 1.90 and 1.95 meters tall have a huge advantage.

Meanwhile, Agnieszka Korneluk is 2 meters tall, with an impressive arm span. According to statistics, the athlete born in 1994 has a jump of up to 3.2 meters and a blocking range of up to 2.95 meters.

Thanks to her ideal physique, every time Korneluk goes up front, she causes a lot of fear for her opponents. There is almost no blocker with enough bounce to stop Korneluk's attacks.

But Korneluk’s blocking ability is even more impressive. Despite her excellent jumping power, she rarely uses it at full power. Just a moderate jump is enough to keep opposing spikers at bay.

There were even times when Korneluk just had to… stand still and the ball would come to him. On social networks, videos of such moves are easily found, and the number of views is also very high.

They watch not only to witness good football, but also because of the humor from the helplessness of the attackers facing a "pole" of terrifying height.

Journey to becoming a captain

Agnieszka Korneluk (number 5) is an important spiritual support for the Polish team - Photo: WESZLO

In June 2012, Agnieszka Korneluk was first called up to the Polish women's volleyball team. At that time, she had not yet reached her 18th birthday (she was born in October).

But Korneluk's chance to play volleyball at the highest level was almost missed. Seeing that their daughter was not yet mature enough and still had to go to school, Korneluk's parents tried to prevent her from joining the national team.

Even Korneluk never thought about it. In an interview, she revealed that she only played volleyball for fun. So being called up to the national team was a complete surprise.

In the end, Korneluk still somehow got the nod from her parents, even though she had to sacrifice months of school.

When Korneluk first joined the national team, the Polish women's volleyball team was still going through a period of crisis. After two gold medals at the European Championships in 2003 and 2005, and then a bronze medal in 2009, the team gradually declined.

The peak of the decline was the Polish women's volleyball team's two consecutive losses to the World Championships in 2014 and 2018. It was not until 2022 that they reappeared, but thanks to being the host.

As a result, Polish volleyball had to undergo a period of strong reform. And Agnieszka Korneluk was part of the change. Gradually, they regained their position with 3 consecutive years of winning bronze medals in the Volleyball Nations League (2023, 2024, 2025).

In particular, Korneluk was also voted the best Middle Blocker of the tournament twice in a row in 2024 and 2025.

Since legendary setter Joanna Wolosz left the team after the 2024 Olympics, the captaincy was also handed over to Korneluk. Up to now, she has still performed well not only in competition but also as a spiritual support for the whole team.

At the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship, the Polish women's volleyball team is in the same group as Vietnam. Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team will certainly have to face simple but effective handling situations from one of the best middle blockers in the world at the moment.

There are quite a few Vietnamese volleyball fans who love Korneluk and have nicknamed her "the toothless sister" because of her special appearance. They are also very eager to see how this girl will perform against the Vietnamese women's volleyball team.

Back to topic

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/agnieszka-korneluk-cay-sao-2-met-co-the-khien-bong-chuyen-nu-viet-nam-lo-so-20250823072426409.htm