VolleyBar65# : Friday August 14, 2026

On this day…
Levy Combette, big transfer move for ChKS Chełm, Allianz Milano, Slovenia and 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup in Mexico.

Welcome to the 65th episode of VolleyBar — although this probably won’t be the last one of the week, as we’ve decided to publish some special episodes over the weekend as well. Stay tuned!

In France, Levy Combette has decided to bring his volleyball career to an end at just 26 years old!
“I have never been the biggest player, nor have I played at the highest level in the world. But one thing is certain: I have done everything I could to reach the level I am at today,” he said.
The REC middle blocker announced on Instagram that he is stepping away from volleyball to devote himself to a project that has been close to his heart for several years.
“Today, a new adventure begins, with new challenges, new goals, but above all, with the same determination to win.”

In Poland, Maciej Muzaj joins ChKS Chełm. The experienced opposite and long-time Poland international returns to the Polish league after two seasons abroad. Last season, he represented Al-Hilal VC in Saudi Arabia, while before that he played for Japan’s Tokyo Great Bears.
Standing at 208 cm, the 32-year-old brings enormous experience from both domestic and international competitions. In Poland, he has represented clubs including PGE Skra Bełchatów, Jastrzębski Węgiel, Trefl Gdańsk, ONICO Warszawa, Asseco Resovia Rzeszów and Stal Nysa. He has also played for Russia’s Gazprom-Ugra Surgut and Ural Ufa, as well as Italy’s Sir Safety Perugia.
With PGE Skra Bełchatów, he won the Polish championship, while during the 2018/2019 season, playing for Trefl Gdańsk, he became the top scorer in the PlusLiga, finishing the campaign with 611 points while, with Poland National Team, he won a silver medal at the 2019 World Cup, as well as bronze medals at the European Championship and the Volleyball Nations League.

In Italy, Allianz Milano have officially announced that the team will return to training on Tuesday, August 18, initially with a reduced squad. Basil Dermaux, Seppe Rotty, Georgi Tatarov, Robertlandy Simon and Tatsunori Otsuka will be absent as they are currently on international duty with their respective national teams ahead of the late-summer international events, including the European Championship and Olympic qualification tournaments.
Libero Damiano Catania is also currently with the Italian national team. His next major appointment will be the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, where Italy, as the host nation, will be aiming high.
Working in Milan during this first phase will instead be Recine, Ichino, Simone Porro, Tenorio, Bartolucci, Benacchio, Orduna, Argano and Corbetta.

And now some international news.
Following Slovenia’s historic bronze medal in the Volleyball Nations League, the Slovenian men’s national team was visited by the Minister of the Economy, Labour and Sport, Anže Logar, who congratulated the players on their outstanding achievement.
The bronze medal represents another milestone for Slovenian volleyball and an achievement the country can be extremely proud of.

Pool-play of 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup ended today in Morelos, Mexico.
Puerto Rico advanced to quarterfinals after a straight sets win over Trinidad and Tobago (25:14, 25:21, 25:18), finishing third in Pool A and will play 2nd place in Pool B. Jair Santiago led the winners with 18 points.
Guatemala tops Dominican Republic in five sets 3-2 (24:26, 25:21, 21:25, 30:28, 15:12) but Dominicans Advance to Quarterfinals. Andy Blanco and Carlos Lopez led Guatemala with 29 and 21 points, respectively, while Alexis Cruz top-scored Dominican Republic with 20 points.
Canada is straight through to the Pan American Cup Semifinals in Morelos!
A marathon 34-32 third set capped their 3-0 (25:19, 25:18, 34:32) victory over USA who, second in Pool A will play the quarterfinals, against Dominican Republic.
Close the picture Cuba who beats Mexico 3-1 (25:18, 30:28, 23:25, 25:23), but Mexico heads to Pan American Cup Semifinals, as they needed one set to earn a direct berth to semis as Pool B winners with 3-1 record and 15pts
Cuba with same 3-1 record and 14pts finished second.

Quarterfinals:
USA 🇺🇸 vs 🇩🇴 DOM
CUB 🇨🇺 vs 🇵🇷 PUR
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