Kamil Nalepka – the rookie head coach who made #CLVolleyM history

Kamil Nalepka's debut as head coach of PGE Projekt Warszawa could hardly have gone better. After stepping into the role in late January 2026, the 30-year-old guided the Polish club to a historic CEV Champions League Volley 2026 Men's Final Four in Torino (May 16-17), marking the greatest European achievement in the club's history. In his first season as a head coach, Nalepka not only led Warszawa through difficult moments in the campaign, but also transformed the team into one of the standout sides of the decisive stages of the competition.

PGE Projekt Warszawa's #CLVolleyM campaign had been far from straightforward in the early stages. The Polish side struggled during the pool phase and found itself under pressure before a decisive change on the bench. Following the departure of Tommi Tiilikainen, Nalepka - previously serving as assistant coach – was promoted to head coach in late January. From that moment, Warszawa’s season took a dramatic turn. After advancing from the pool phase in third place, the team produced an impressive knockout run, eliminating both Trentino Itas and Bogdanka LUK Lublin to secure a place among Europe’s top four teams.

"As a team, we decided to take things step by step. Because of that, we never looked too far ahead and instead focused on every single match. I think that approach ultimately brought us to where we are today," Nalepka said. "Personally, I always aim high and always dream about winning the national championship – and in the Champions League, about winning the Champions League itself. But when I took over this team, we were in a very difficult situation in the Champions League. We had a decisive match against Montpellier where a win kept us alive, while a loss would probably have meant elimination after the group stage. Later we had difficult matches in Leuven and Civitanova, and in the end we advanced only as the third-placed team in the pool. Then we reached the #CLVolleyM Final Four after beating Trentino and Lublin – it’s crazy. It has truly been an emotional rollercoaster. When I look back now at those Champions League matches, it’s hard to believe where we are today.”

Asked which match in this #CLVolleyM campaign made him the proudest, Nalepka pointed immediately to the dramatic Playoff Round comeback against Trentino. "The return match in Trento. We went to one of the toughest arenas after losing at home. We needed to win the match and then win the golden set – and we did it as a team," he recalled. "I think that was the real turning point for us in this Champions League campaign. After all the difficulties in the group stage, we immediately faced two very tough matches against Trentino, and by securing qualification in the golden set we reached the quarterfinals."

Kamil Nalepka also guided the club to success on the domestic stage. PGE Projekt Warszawa finished the PlusLiga season with the bronze medal after defeating Asseco Resovia Rzeszów last Wednesday. Earlier in the playoffs, Warszawa had fallen to Lublin in the semifinals, with the 2025 Polish champions gaining revenge for their Champions League quarterfinal defeat.

Throughout the season, PGE Projekt Warszawa also had to deal with injuries to several key players. During the PlusLiga bronze medal series, Bartosz Bednorz – Warszawa's top scorer in #CLVolleyM – suffered an injury that ruled him out of the Final Four in Torino. Still, the team repeatedly showed its ability to overcome adversity.

"Our problems definitely made us stronger. They showed the whole team that every player is important," Nalepka said. "What makes me happiest is the way the team reacted to those difficulties. For a long time we had to cope without Jakub Kochanowski, and now we are missing Bartosz Bednorz, but the substitutes – the players who had been waiting for their opportunity - took their chance. They were the ones who led us to the Champions League Final Four and to a PlusLiga medal. I'm very happy because they were ready, they were prepared to play. When everyone was healthy, their role in the team was different, but now they stepped up and are performing at a very high level."

Although Kamil Nalepka is the head coach, he works closely alongside Bartosz Kaczmarek, forming a coaching duo that has received support not only from the club's management, but also from the players themselves. "Bartosz has been at the club for 14 years and I think working as a duo is a very good solution for us. We share responsibilities - we work together on tactics and on the training process," Nalepka explained. "I believe it was easier to take over the team together with someone who has been at the club for so many years, because I was still relatively new here and this is only my first season working full-time in Warsaw. I value this cooperation very highly. The decision to put us in charge came from the club management. I also constantly feel support from the team and all the players. Personally, as a coach, working with such experienced players is a huge privilege because many of them had already experienced situations like this before, when coaches were changed during the season."

His breakthrough as a head coach came this season, however, Kamil Nalepka has been building his coaching experience for years. He started his career as a statistician before working as an assistant coach in several Polish clubs, eventually joining PGE Projekt Warszawa ahead of the 2025/2026 season. Since 2022, he has also been part of Nikola Grbić’s staff with the Polish national team, serving as assistant coach and statistician alongside one of Volleyball’s most respected figures.

"I've taken ideas and different elements from every coach I've worked with – not necessarily to copy them directly, but to implement them in training in my own way," Nalepka said. "I also learned things that I personally do not want to use in my coaching career. I don't want to single out just one coach, but I have to admit that the five years with the national team under Nikola Grbić have been special. I've worked with him longer than with any other coach, and I feel close to his vision of Volleyball. Still, I've learned many valuable things from every coach I've worked with. I don't believe in a copy-paste approach –  I always try to respond to the current needs of the team and focus on what the group needs in order to win the next matches."

At just 30 years old, Nalepka has already become one of the youngest #CLVolleyM head coaches ever, making his achievement even more remarkable by reaching the Final Four in his debut season – and his story may only be beginning.