Trailblazers sign middle Dagmara Knap from Poland

VINCENNES, Ind. – The four-time defending Region 24 Champion Vincennes University volleyball team made another big addition to their front row this week with the signing of five-foot-11 middle blocker Dagmara Knap from Poland.

"We had another opening and we were looking to add another athletic hitter and Dagmara is someone who has played as the opposite hitter before transitioning to being a middle blocker," VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. "That's really tough to do, to transition from one of the pins to the middle. Not only did she do that, but she did it extremely well. It's one thing to play a new position but to play it and do it well, that's a whole different discussion."

"It's become our theme here to recruit long, athletic students who play more than one position," Sien added. "Dagmara came well recommended by our usual Polish contacts. It's nice to have those types of connections and they know what type of players we like to recruit."

"Dagmara is also experienced in first ball contact both serving and defense," Sien said. "We are looking at her not only as a middle or an opposite but will also try her at the outside as well. Every position right now is wide open, so if I don't exactly know where to put you, we are just going to put you everywhere so we can determine where you best fit in."

"I would also say that you cannot go wrong by recruiting middles," Sien added. "If they are a middle they have hit different sets at different tempos. If you recruit middles, your front row is typically going to be pretty advanced."

"Volleyball might be Poland's National sport," Sien said. "It is a very popular sport in the country and internationally in this past Olympics Poland had probably their best finishes for both their men's and women's teams that they have ever had. That's difficult to do at that level, to have both men's and women's teams do that in the same Olympiad, so that's a sign of how advanced the volleyball community in Poland is at the moment."

Knap comes to Vincennes after a successful prep career at MKS Chelmiec Walbzych where she helped guide her team to being Vice-Champions of Lower Silesia in the cadet category in 2022 and helped her team reach the semi finals of the Polish Junior Championships in 2023.

Most recently Knap was named the MVP of her team at a friendly tournament in January and was Most Valuable Player of one of the quarterfinal matches during the Polish Junior Championships this past February.

"Dagmara joined our club this season after playing for a different team in previous years," Knap's club coach Andzelika Lipinska said. "She came to us as an opposite hitter and transitioned to the middle blocker position, a major change that she embraced with determination and enthusiasm. Her development was exceptionally fast and she quickly became one of our core players, both in attack and block."

"One exceptional aspect that sets Dagmara apart is her commitment," Lipinska added. "She was one of the very few players who did not miss a single training session throughout the entire season, despite commuting from another town. This level of dedication, reliability and professionalism speaks volumes about her character and passion for volleyball."

"Dagmara is an energetic, open and enthusiastic player," Lipinska said. "From the moment she joined our team, not knowing anyone, she adapted quickly and became a vital part of our group. She brought contagious energy, seamlessly integrated into the team and became one of our emotional and athletic leaders. Her consistency, rapid development and strong team presence made a lasting impression. I am confident she will bring that same drive and spirit to Vincennes University both on and off the court."

"We had similar type numbers back in 2018, where we had two returners and 12 first year players," Sien said. "Not that you are going to drastically change the way we train or anything but the way we did it back then and the way we are probably going to do it now is do a lot of full court six-one-six. Of course we are going to continue to individually train as best as we can but that's really the only way that you can learn each other's tendencies the quickest is to just put you out there on the court."

"It gives us the opportunity to put players in different positions and give them time at that position so we can better evaluate," Sien added. "Everybody is going to have an opportunity and just like every year everyone is going to have to learn on the fly. Asking questions and having clarification at practices is the key. It is too late when it's in the middle of a game. We have to not only try to get better every day but with every second that we are in the gym together."

"The time schedule is always going to be a factor at this level, being a fall sport at a two-year program," Sien said. "But having so much newness this year, it's like taking a group of strangers and striving to become a team in a short amount of time. Volleyball is such a team sport that there are going to be times where we make errors and mistakes but early on those errors and mistakes are more going to be made because of a lack of time playing together. No other sport has a fixed rotation like volleyball, that's why volleyball people always say that teams need time together to build that team chemistry."

"It's obviously going to be a challenge but if everyone can reach their potential, we are going to be very, very competitive out there," Sien added. "This is a very exciting group to bring in. Like every year with every team, there are going to be question marks going in. But I don't think I could be any happier than I am with the group that we have coming in. Every positional need I believe has been filled."

Knap is also a very accomplished student, graduating high school with the distinction as one of the two top students in her class and was also distinguished in the Sudoku competition and the Greek mythology knowledge Olympiad.

Dagmara is the daughter of Eugeniusz and Dorota Knap and plans to major in Psychology at Vincennes University.

The Vincennes University Athletic Department is excited to welcome Dagmara Knap to the 2025 Trailblazer recruiting class.