On this day..
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, NORCECA Men’s Final Six, memorial Wagner, Canada and Thailand to Olympic Games and Philippines.
Welcome to Sunday special edition of VolleyBar!
We were here again also this weekend, as another 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.
August 30, 1895 is a date unexpectedly linked to the birth of volleyball.
Actually it is not officially the day volleyball was invented, but it has an intriguing place in the sport’s history. On that day, William G. Morgan arrived in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he had just been appointed Physical Director of the local YMCA. A few months later, in December 1895, he would develop the new indoor game originally called Mintonette — the sport that would become volleyball.
For decades, February 9, 1895 was traditionally cited as the date of volleyball’s creation. However, research by the International Volleyball Hall of Fame has challenged that chronology: records show that Morgan was still working at the YMCA in Auburn, Maine during August and only arrived in Holyoke on August 30. His own accounts consistently place the development of Mintonette later in 1895.
So, while August 30 cannot be called volleyball’s birthday, it marks the beginning of the chapter in Holyoke that would lead to the creation of the modern game!
On August 30, 2008, Brazilian beach volleyball duo Maria Antonelli and Vanilda Leão captured the Kristiansand Open in Norway, claiming their first FIVB World Tour gold medal.
They defeated Norwegian home favourites Nila Ann Håkedal and Ingrid Tørlen in the final. It was the first of three FIVB World Tour victories for Antonelli and Leão, who had already established themselves as a dangerous international partnership on the Challenger and Satellite circuits.
For Antonelli, Kristiansand would become particularly significant: after splitting with Leão, she formed a successful partnership with Talita Antunes, winning several major World Tour events and a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships.
One year later, on August 30, 2009, the men’s beach volleyball calendar also produced a notable August 30 milestone. Dutch stars Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil won the FIVB World Tour event in The Hague.
It was the fifth of nine World Tour victories achieved by the Dutch partnership, one of the most successful European men’s beach volleyball teams of their era.
One of the most memorable indoor volleyball events associated with August 30 came at the 2017 CEV European Championship in Poland.
Playing in front of 8,681 spectators at Kraków’s Tauron Arena, Slovenia stunned the hosts by sweeping Poland 3–0 (25:21, 25:21, 25:19) in the play-off round.
The defeat eliminated the reigning hosts from their home European Championship, while Slovenia advanced to the quarter-finals, where they would face Russia. Alen Šket led Slovenia with 13 points, while Poland’s top scorer was Dawid Konarski with nine.
The same day also saw the Czech Republic produce another major upset, defeating reigning European champions France in Katowice to reach the quarter-finals. Michal Finger scored 18 winning spikes and finished with 19 points, while Stephen Boyer led France with 20.
At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta also on August 30, South Korea survived a thrilling five-set semifinal against Chinese Taipei, winning 3–2 (20:25, 25:20, 25:16, 20:25, 15:12).
Moon Sung-min led all scorers with 20 points, while Seo Jae-duck contributed 15, including the final two points of the match.
The victory sent South Korea into the men’s final against defending champions Iran, with the Koreans aiming to win their first Asian Games title since 2006.
August 30, 2019, on the other hand, was a particularly important date for Italian volleyball.
In Tunis, Italy won the FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship, defeating Russia 3–1 (26:24, 21:25, 25:19, 25:18) in the final.
It was Italy’s first youth World Championship gold in 22 years, and the tournament proved to be an extraordinary showcase of a generation that would soon make its mark at senior level. Among the emerging stars was Tommaso Rinaldi, who was named to the tournament’s Dream Team. Argentina completed the podium by beating Egypt 3–1 for bronze.
At the 2022 FIVB Men’s World Championship in Slovenia and Poland, August 30 was another busy day.
Brazil defeated Qatar 3–0 (25:13, 25:23, 26:24) in Ljubljana, while Japan beat Cuba 3–1 (25:18, 21:25, 25:15, 25:19).
The tournament would eventually produce one of the most dramatic finals in recent World Championship history, with Italy defeating Poland in Katowice.
Idalmis Gato was born August 30, 1971.
The Cuban outside hitter was part of the legendary Cuban women’s national team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals — Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. She was also a member of Cuba’s 1994 World Championship-winning team.
That makes she one of the very few players in volleyball history to have won three Olympic gold medals.
Italian beach volleyball player Giulia Momoli was born in Asolo on this day in 1981. She became one of Italy’s most active players on the FIVB World Tour, particularly during her partnership with Daniela Gioria. The pair won the 2007 Italian Championship, while Momoli accumulated 72 World Tour appearances and 229 international matches.
One of the most important coaching figures in Asian volleyball history, Man-Bok Park, born August 30, 1936 in Seoul, eventually became a legendary coach in Peru, leading the women’s national team to an extraordinary period of success. He was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016.
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But now some today’s news.
USA defeated Canada 3-0 (25:15, 25:18, 25:21) to retain the NORCECA Men’s Final Six crown!
Mexico defeated Puerto Rico 3-2 (25-21, 25:18, 21:25, 24:26, 15:12) to claim bronze. It’s Mexico’s third bronze medal and fourth overall medal in tournament history. Yasutaka Sanay and Franky Hernández top-scored the winners with 18 points each.
Dominican Republic takes fifth place defeating Guatemala 3-0 (25:20, 25:23, 25:18).
About NORCECA Women, Canada defeats the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25:15, 20:25, 25:23, 25:14) to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games!
Canada returns to the Olympics for the first time since Atlanta 1996!
Cuba defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25:22, 25:18, 25:21) to finish third at the NORCECA Women’s Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament.
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The XXIII Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial has come to an end in Kraków, with Poland taking the title, followed by France in second place, USA in third and Slovenia in fourth.
The hosts finished unbeaten, defeating Slovenia 3–2, USA 3–1 and France 3–1, while the USA secured the bronze with a dramatic 3–2 comeback against Slovenia.
A huge thank you to our collaborator and friend Ivan, who followed every single match live from the TAURON Arena in Kraków and brought us his reports, insights and first-hand coverage throughout the tournament!
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Thailand made history defeating hosts China in five sets to retain their AVC Women’s Volleyball Continental Championship title and qualify for the Olympic Games for THE FIRST TIME.
Thailand prevailed 3-2 (25:20, 11:25, 23:25, 25:18, 15:10) at the Tianjin Olympic Center Gymnasium, recovering after falling 2-1 behind to claim their fourth continental crown and the direct Asian qualification place for the Los Angeles 2028.
The Road to Olympics is heating up!
Three teams have already punched their tickets to the Women’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament:
• USA — Host
• Canada — Olympic return after 32 years
• Thailand — Historic first Olympic appearance
9 SPOTS ARE STILL UP FOR GRABS.
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The Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) is officially launching a Men’s Division, targeting a kickoff in the first week of October.
Backed by MPVA founder Manny Pacquiao and PNVF President and Strong Group Athletics chairman Frank Lao, the new division aims to strengthen grassroots talent development and scout promising athletes ready to represent the country on the international stage.
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