Luxembourg, February 3, 2021. ŁKS Commercecon Łódź's libero, Krystyna Strasz suffered a fracture of the zygomatic bone during one of the training sessions two months ago. Now, she plays in a special titanium mask. The match against VakifBank Istanbul was the second game after her return to regular workouts. "I didn't like it very much in the beginning, but in the third training session I got a very strong attack in the face, in the place that was broken. From then on, I liked the mask because it did its job, preventing me from going back to sitting outside the court," said Krystyna.

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Krystyna, behind your team the most difficult match in the tournament, against VakifBank Istanbul. You lost 0-3, but you can be happy with your game. What are your feelings after this match?

Krystyna Strasz: "The first pancake is always spoiled. For me, these were the first short moments after a long break. As for the opponent, everyone knows that VakifBank is one of the best teams in the world. I am glad that we could play such a team. It was a good start before the next two games. These games will be very hard for us. We will fight for valuable points."

Today you are going to play with VC Maritza Plovdiv. You won in the first tournament, but after a tie-break fight. What are you up to today?

Krystyna Strasz: "We expect a tough game today and tomorrow with the French team. The team from Bulgaria has already shown that it is very brave. It was the only one who won a set with VakifBank at the first tournament. Yesterday they looked very good also. We don't expect an easy match. It is a tough tournament and we will do everything to win, but it will certainly not be an easy task. We have to do our best, because the bar will be high."

Fans in Poland already know, let's say also in volleyball Europe, that you come back after an injury and you play in a special mask. Tell us how you feel in it.

Krystyna Strasz: "I didn't like it very much at the beginning, but in the third training session I got a very strong attack in the face, in the place that was broken. From then on, I liked the mask because it did its job, preventing me from going back to sitting outside the court. I like it already, even though it is not very comfortable, because I have to correct it quite often. However, it fulfills its role and this is the most important thing."

And how do you see in this mask? The mask doesn’t make it difficult for you to judge what is happening on the court?

Krystyna Strasz: "The view is a little narrower, but it's not bad. I thought it would be worse. A matter of habit."