I need to write a few words about Magda Stysiak. For those outside Poland who are not familiar with the latest drama: after a journalist asked her about the comments online regarding her poor performances at the European Championship, she called it “horrible hate” coming from people who post anonymously (the funny part is that many of the people commenting on X have been doing so for years under their real names) and basically said that if they have something to say to her, they should send her an email XD
A lot of former players have also joined the discussion, saying, that she may be playing terribly, but we are winning, so just shut up and leave her alone. But Magda is not an 17-year-old kid who has just made her debut for the NT and needs to be protected at all costs, she is supposed to be the leader of this team. So why exactly are we not allowed to hold her accountable when she plays badly?
On top of that, our commentators, who are friends with Magda, seem to be completely silent about her awful stats and praise every single attack she manages to put away. Yesterday, (reminder: Magda hit at 25%) and our commentator said that she was “carrying the attack” and that, honestly, it was strange that Szczurowska was coming onto the court although apparently “something has to be changed to try to fight against Italy.” XD
What I find incredible is that an experienced player like Magda, who is already 26 and has been playing professionally for around ten years, still seems unable to admit to herself (or even notice?) that she is simply playing terribly. No wonder she has been stuck in the same place for several years if she cannot recognize that this is yet another major tournament where she has failed to show up in good form.
After the Olympics, she admitted that the pressure and importance of the tournament got to her and that she mentally couldn’t handle it. But since then? Nothing seems to have changed. There has been no visible mental work, not to mention improving her explosiveness or learning to make better use of her reach. I honestly cannot watch her asking for challenges anymore when the ball is literally flying more than half a meter above the block or constantly looking for some kind of touch in defense when there clearly wasn’t one. Okay, she is a nice person and she brings a friendly atmosphere to the team. But someone actually has to play volleyball, not just wander around the court.
The problem is that we are basically stuck with Stysiak until the 2028 LA. Szczurowska is obviously not perfect either, she needs to work on reducing the number of errors she makes and becoming more consistent from the service line. But anyone with eyes can see how much energy and motivation she brings onto the court. That is exactly the kind of character this team needs. I really hope Szczurowska starts today’s match. And as for Magda - I genuinely hope she finally opens her eyes, because she can still save her career.
