VolleyBar54# : Thursday July 30, 2026

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We open the 54th episode of VolleyBar with a few well-deserved thank-yous.
First of all, a huge thank you to Danilo, who has travelled to China to cover the Volleyball Nations League Finals. At the same time, we’d also like to congratulate ourselves for what has been an incredible journey throughout this year’s VNL. With the exception of Week 1 in Ottawa, we managed to cover every single venue of the competition, bringing you reports and updates directly from the courts.
We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve accomplished together!
Most importantly, thank you to all our VolleyBar readers.
Your support continues to grow every day, and knowing that we were the very first to introduce the idea of a daily volleyball column collecting all the most important news from around the world makes us incredibly proud.
Seeing how much this project is appreciated is the greatest reward for all the effort we’ve put into it!

Now, let’s head to Poland, where Bela Bartha has officially become the newest middle blocker of Asseco Resovia.
Born on October 19, 2000, the Romanian international began his senior career with Unirea Dej before continuing his development at SCM Universitatea Craiova. His performances earned him a move to Dinamo București, one of Romania’s most successful clubs, where he gained valuable experience both domestically and in European competitions.
His impressive progress eventually opened the doors to one of the strongest leagues in the world, Italy’s SuperLega, where he signed with Itas Trentino.
He has also become an important member of the Romanian national team, which has steadily regained competitiveness on the international stage over the past few seasons.

“We are delighted that Bela Bartha has joined Asseco Resovia Rzeszów,” said club president Piotr Maciąg.
“Despite his young age, he already has experience at the highest level, particularly in the Italian league. He stands out for his blocking ability, attacking efficiency and excellent teamwork. We believe both his qualities and his character will make him a major addition to our squad.”

About Romania, CSM Arcada Galați has signed another Slovenian international, twenty-three-year-old middle blocker Janž Janez Kržič, who has signed a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season.
One of Slovenia’s promising young talents, he arrives from ACH Volley Ljubljana after previously playing for OK i-Vent Maribor and Span Brezovica. Alongside fellow Slovenian international Sašo Štalekar, he has established himself as one of the country’s emerging middle blockers.
Last season, he helped ACH Volley Ljubljana reach the CEV Cup semifinals, where the Slovenian champions were eliminated by Italy’s Piacenza. Starting both semifinal matches, he delivered several impressive performances on the European stage.

“I’m very happy to begin a new challenge in Romania with a club that dominated volleyball in this country for many years and has everything it takes to become the leading force once again,” he said. “The opinion of my Slovenian national teammate Sašo also played an important role in my decision. He spoke very highly of the club, the city and its supporters. I hope we can play every match in front of a packed arena, and we’ll do everything possible to achieve that by winning.”

In France, Canadian setter JJ Love has joined Nice Volley-Ball for the upcoming season. At 23, he is set to make his debut in the Marmara SpikeLigue.
Meanwhile, their neighbours in Cannes have bid farewell to Israeli setter Yuval Chansky after one season with the club.

On the international stage, Puerto Rico booked its place in the gold medal match of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games after defeating Mexico 3-1 (25:17, 25:18, 21:25, 25:19) in the semifinals.
It marks the eleventh time Puerto Rico has reached the tournament’s championship match.
Jair Santiago led the winners with 16 points, while Axel Téllez was Mexico’s top scorer with 13.
Puerto Rico will now face Colombia, which stunned defending champions Cuba in a thrilling five-set semifinal, winning 3-2 (25:27, 25:19, 17;25, 25:19, 15:12) behind 18 points from Miguel Martínez.
Cuban star Marlon Yant finished as the match’s top scorer with 24 points.
Cuba will now take on Mexico in the bronze medal match.

In youth volleyball, Nigeria and Tunisia were crowned champions of the 2026 African U18 Championships, while hosts Egypt finished runners-up in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, claiming two silver medals at the conclusion of the 14th African Championship in Alexandria.

In Cameroon, the volleyball community gathered in Kiiki, near Bafia, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of André Boull à Boull, a respected figure in Cameroonian volleyball.
The thanksgiving ceremony brought together administrative, religious and traditional authorities, members of the volleyball community and partners of the Cameroonian Volleyball Federation (FECAVOLLEY), all united in support of the Boull family.
The late André Boull à Boull was the father of FECAVOLLEY President Julien Serge Abouem and international referee André Charlie Boull, as well as the grandfather of several young Cameroonian volleyball players.
The occasion also allowed the Boull Foundation to continue his legacy of generosity and community service by donating medical equipment worth one million CFA francs to the Kiiki District Medical Centre.

And now something about 2026 Volleyball Nations League Finals: The United States cruises into the semifinals after a commanding straight-set victory over Italy!
This marks USA’s fifth Volleyball Nations League semifinal appearance, with their most recent coming in 2023, where they went on to claim the silver medal. USA puts on a dominant performance, 25:22, 25:21, 25:21 and now they face an undefeated Japan team for a ticket to the championship match.
Meanwhile, defending champions Poland secure their spot in the semifinals after battling past Ukraine in a four-set quarterfinal match: 25:22, 22:25, 25:20, 25:17.
With this win, Poland advances to face Slovenia for a spot in the championship match!

Finally, we move to Germany, where legendary opposite Georg Grozer is preparing for what could be his final European Championship.
Now 41 years old, the veteran opposite has begun preparations for EuroVolley 2026. Born on November 27, 1984, he will celebrate his 42nd birthday shortly after the tournament concludes.
The iconic captain of the German national team remains among the players who could be selected for the final 14-man roster that will represent Germany at this September’s European Championship.
If selected, it would mark yet another remarkable chapter in the extraordinary career of one of the greatest opposites of his generation.

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