VolleyBar SPECIAL: Saturday August 29, 2026

On this day..
“Journalism” at its finest, Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, Sergei Ovchinnikov, NORCECA Men’s Final Six, Boys’ U17 Volleyball World Championship, memorial Wagner, Brazil, and Women competitions

Welcome to another special edition of VolleyBar!
As already announced yesterday, we are here again also this weekend, as a one-off exception.
Although, judging by how often these “exceptions” are happening, they’re starting to feel like the norm!
So, we’ll see if and when it might be time to change things up.
If we didn’t publish anything over the weekend, where would our Italian friends get the news for their ugly copies of VolleyBar? Journalism at its finest: copy, paste and, in their case, translate it into Italian.

Either way, August 29 is one of those dates when volleyball history seems to concentrate several very different stories into a single day — Olympic glory, unforgettable careers, birthdays and tragedy.

On August 29, 1952, the second edition of the men’s World Championship and the inaugural women’s World Championship came to an end at the Central Dynamo Stadium in Moscow.
The regulations of the time did not provide for a single final. The men’s tournament was decided through two round-robin stages, while the women’s competition was played in a single group.
The Soviet Union dominated both events, winning every match without dropping a single set. In the men’s tournament, they finished ahead of Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria, while in the women’s competition they topped Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Seventy-four years later, that extraordinary double triumph remains one of the clearest displays of dominance in the history of the World Championships.

On August 29, 2004, Brazil became Olympic champions in men’s volleyball, defeating Italy 3–1 in the gold-medal match at the Athens Games. The Brazilians, coached by the legendary Bernardo Rezende, prevailed 25:15, 24:26, 25:20, 25:22, confirming their status as the world’s dominant men’s team at the time.
Brazil had arrived in Athens as the world No. 1 and produced a tournament worthy of that ranking. Against Italy, however, the final briefly became a real contest after the Italians fought back to take the second set. Brazil responded by regaining control through its blocking and serving, eventually securing its second Olympic men’s volleyball gold medal, after its first triumph in 1992.

The same day also brought a painful Olympic story for the United States. In the men’s bronze-medal match, Russia swept the USA 3–0 (25:22, 27:25, 25:16), ending American hopes of returning to the Olympic podium for the first time since Barcelona 1992. The defeat was particularly painful because the Americans had been among the tournament’s strongest teams and had already beaten Russia earlier in the competition.

August 29 also marks the birthday of Bartosz Kurek, born in Wałbrzych, Poland, in 1988. One of the defining figures of Polish volleyball in the modern era, he has represented Poland at four Olympic Games and has collected some of the biggest titles available in international volleyball. Among his highlights are the 2009 European Championship, the 2018 World Championship and the 2024 Olympic silver medal in Paris. His career has also included major club success in Poland, Italy, Turkey and Japan.

Another great European player born on August 29 is Marko Podraščanin, born in Novi Sad in 1987. The Serbian middle blocker became one of the most recognizable players of his generation, winning the European Championship in 2011 and 2019, the 2016 World League and a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championship. He also represented Serbia at the Olympic Games in Beijing, London and Paris. Just at the end of 2025/26 season he annouced his retirement and he is now beginning a new chapter at Lube, where he has taken on the role of Sporting Director.

The date also belongs to Włodzimierz Sadalski, born in Poland in 1949.
A member of the legendary Polish generation of the 1970s, he won both the 1974 World Championship and the 1976 Olympic gold medal with Poland. After his playing career, he moved into coaching, including a spell with Finland’s national team.

And there is a beach-volleyball connection too: Talita Antunes, one of Brazil’s most successful beach volleyball players, was born on August 29, 1982. A blocker renowned for her consistency and defensive skills, Talita became a major force on the FIVB World Tour, winning the World Tour in both 2013 and 2015 and earning multiple international podium finishes.

But August 29 also carries a much darker memory.
On this day in 2012, Sergei Ovchinnikov died at the age of 43 in Poreč, Croatia. A former Soviet and Russian volleyball player who became a highly respected coach, he had worked with several leading Russian clubs and had been appointed head coach of the Russian women’s national team. His death shocked the volleyball world and remains one of the most tragic moments in modern Russian volleyball history. He was found dead in his hotel room in Poreč, where Dynamo Moscow were attending a preseason training camp. His death was ruled a suicide, just weeks after Russia’s heartbreaking Olympic quarter-final defeat to Brazil in London.

August 29, therefore, gives us almost everything that makes volleyball history worth remembering: an Olympic triumph, a painful defeat, champions whose careers helped shape an era, and a reminder that behind the medals and statistics there are also human stories that never really leave the sport.

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About today’s news, defending champion USA defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25:21, 25:23, 25:23) in the semifinals of the 2026 NORCECA Men’s Final Six with 18 points from Sean Kelly.
USA will face Canada in the final, looking to capture its fourth consecutive gold medal, while Puerto Rico will face Mexico for bronze.
In first semifinal, Canada defeated Mexico 3-0 (25:22, 25:19, 25:22) with 13 points from Daniil Hershtynovich.
It marks Canada’s fifth appearance in the championship match, where they will look for their first-ever gold medal.

Medal Count:
Usa: 3 🥇 2 🥉
Canada: 4 🥈
Mexico: 1 🥇 2 🥉
Puerto Rico: 1 🥈

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HISTORY MADE!
Iran defeated France in four sets, 25:18, 25:15, 22:25, 25:12, to claim the Boys’ U17 World Championship title and finish the entire tournament undefeated!
Absolute dominance from start to finish.
Congratulations, Team Iran!
Brazil shakes off an opening-set loss and completely dominates the rest of the match to crush Argentina in four in Bronze Medal Match.
They secure their first-ever U17 World Championship medal, while denying last tournament’s silver medalists a spot on the podium: 21:25, 25:17, 25:18, 25:13.

Dream Team:
Most Valuable Player: Sina Hazrati (Iran)
Best Outside hitters: Jaden Ébagne Yon (France) & Valentin Tomas Bianchi (Argentina)
Best Middle Blockers: Monib Sheikh (Iran) & Lucas Abreu (Brazil)
Best Opposite: Sina Hazrati (Iran)
Best Libero: Corentin Agnèse (France)
Best Setter: Akam Ebrahimnezhad (Iran)
Congratulations!

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The Wagner Memorial got underway yesterday with the first two matches, won by France and Poland. The tournament continues today with two more games, but we won’t be sharing any further details — our friend and contributor Ivan is there on site to bring you coverage of every match!
France and Poland won today too, against Slovenia and USA, respectively, both in four sets!
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In Brazil, Vôlei Renata opened their Paulista Championship campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Sesi/Guarulhos.
Opposite Bruno Lima led the defending state champions in scoring with 15 points. Their next match is scheduled for September 4 against Praia Grande at Ginásio do Taquaral.
Meanwhile, Joinville have completed four weeks of preparation under head coach Guilherme Novaes and will now step up their technical work ahead of the Copa Joinville, the Campeonato Catarinense and, above all, the Superliga B, where they are aiming to return to Brazil’s top tier.

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The Round of 16 matchups for 2026 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship are officially locked in!
The battle for the European crown continues as 16 teams fight for a spot in the quarterfinals!

🇵🇱 Poland – Portugal 🇵🇹 August 31, 2026 | Istanbul
🇳🇱 Netherlands – Slovenia 🇸🇮 August 31, 2026 | Instanbul
🇮🇹 Italy – Bulgaria 🇧🇬 August 31, 2026 | Brno
🇨🇿 Czechia – Sweden 🇸🇪 August 31, 2026 | Brno
🇧🇪 Belgium – Germany 🇩🇪 September 1, 2026 | Istanbul
🇹🇷 Türkiye – Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 September 1, 2026 | Istanbul
🇷🇸 Serbia – Croatia 🇭🇷 August 30, 2026 | Brno
🇫🇷 France – Greece 🇬🇷 August 30, 2026 | Brno

Who will advance to the quarterfinals?
And Isabelle Haak finishes the EuroVolley Women 2026 group stage as the tournament’s leading scorer with an incredible 174 points in 5 matches!
Vs. Croatia: 52 pts
Vs. France: 39 pts
Vs. Slovakia: 38 pts
Vs. Montenegro: 30 pts
Vs. Italy: 15 pts
Or, in other words, 34.8 points per match!

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Meanwhile, a major upset in Asian volleyball happened: Japan, ranked No. 6 in the world, fell to Thailand, ranked No. 17, in the AVC Women’s Continental Championship semifinals.
Despite being an Asian powerhouse with world-class players, Japan once again fell short when the knockout pressure arrived. They looked strong in the early stages, but the quarterfinals and semifinals have proven to be a major challenge. The game ended in four sets: 25:21, 25:20, 20:25 and 25:20.
Thailand officially qualifies for the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup.
China defeats Iran in the other semifinal to advance to the ultimate showdown: 25:22, 25:12, 25319.
They will now face Thailand for the championship title and the highly coveted ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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