With Kantor ailing, Losiak keys Polish bronze medal win

Moscow, Russia, May 29, 2016 – With his partner Piotr Kantor struggling with knee issues, Bartosz Losiak rose to the occasion here Sunday afternoon as his team secured their second “big” medal this season on the FIVB World Tour by defeating Americans Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson of the United States for the third place on the podium at the US$800,000 Moscow Grand Slam.

Seeded 17th in the Moscow Grand Slam, Kantor and Losiak scored a 2-1 (19-21, 22-20, 15-12) bronze medal win in 56 minutes to gain a share of the $32,000 third-place prize.  For the second-seeded Gibb and Patterson, the Americans split $24,000 as they were competing in their first “final four” since placing second last August at the Polish Grand Slam in Olsztyn.

With both Polish players being 24 while Gibb is 40 and Patterson 36, the younger team has now defeated their American rivals five-straight times on the FIVB World Tour.  Gibb and Patterson won the first two matches against Kantor and Losiak at the start of the 2014 season before the Poles captured the next five matches with the Americans.

“That was a great win for us,” said Losiak after the match while Kantor was seeking medical attention. …

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