VolleyBar76# : Monday August 31, 2026

On this day..
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, Alessandro Bovolenta, Mediterranean Games and EuroVolleyW

Welcome to 76th episode of VolleyBar, the last one of August.

One of the most significant August 31s in international volleyball history came in 1990, at the Women’s World Championship in Beijing.
China, the reigning world champions and winners of the previous five editions, faced the United States in the first semifinal and produced a remarkably dominant performance, sweeping the Americans 3–0 (15:7, 15:8, 15:7).
The other semifinal was much tighter: the Soviet Union, reigning Olympic champions, defeated Cuba 3–0 (17:15, 15:7, 15:8).
The result set up an extraordinary final for September 1: China vs. the Soviet Union, pitting the dominant force of the previous decade against the Olympic champions. China eventually retained the world title, beating the Soviets 3–1.
It was also another chapter in the remarkable career of Lang Ping, already a world and Olympic champion and one of the defining figures of Chinese volleyball.

On this day in 2014, the Men’s World Championship was taking place in Poland, and Iran produced one of the results that immediately attracted attention.
Iran defeated Italy 3–1 (25:16, 23:25, 25:21, 25:22) in Pool D.
It was an important victory for a rapidly emerging Iranian generation that had begun challenging the traditional hierarchy of international men’s volleyball. On the same day, the United States survived a five-set battle with Belgium, 3–2 (25–21, 17–25, 25–16, 21–25, 15–10), while France swept Puerto Rico.

Another fascinating August 31 came at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, when Thailand defeated South Korea 3–1 (25:15, 25:20, 20:25, 25:22) in the semifinal, while China swept Japan 3–0 (25:22, 25:10, 25:20) in the other semifinal.
That meant the Asian Games final would be China–Thailand, one of the most important rivalries in Asian women’s volleyball.
The men’s tournament was also underway that day, although its final was played on September 1, when Iran defeated South Korea 3–0 to win gold.

August 31, 2019 was also a big day on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, with the Montpellier 1-Star tournament reaching its decisive stage.
The CEV records show that the men’s semifinals and final were all played on August 31, with the tournament taking place at the Théâtre Hélios-Odysseum. It is a nice reminder that, at the end of August, international volleyball isn’t confined to indoor arenas: the beach circuit traditionally provided some of the last major action of the European summer.

And one that is particularly close to home for us: August 31, 2022, at the Men’s World Championship in Ljubljana.
Argentina were under enormous pressure on the final day of the preliminary round. After losing their previous two matches against Iran and the Netherlands, the Olympic bronze medallists needed a result against Egypt.
They eventually survived an extraordinary five-set battle:
Argentina 3–2 Egypt, 27:25, 26:28, 24:26, 25:17, 15:6.
Bruno Lima led Argentina with 23 points, followed by Agustín Loser (19) and Facundo Conte (18).
The victory was enough to send Argentina through to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.
On the same day, Türkiye achieved something historic, reaching the knockout stage of the Men’s World Championship for the first time in four appearances.
And Italy closed the pool stage with one of its most spectacular results of the tournament, destroying China 3–0 (25:14, 25:10, 25:14).

Tomasz Fornal was one of the most recognisable names on today’s list.
The Polish outside hitter was born in Kraków on August 31, 1997. A product of Poland’s extraordinary golden generation, he became a European champion in 2023, a Nations League champion and an Olympic silver medallist at Paris 2024. He also won silver at the 2022 World Championship.
And, of course, anyone who watched Poland at Paris 2024 remembers his extraordinary energy — and that unforgettable semifinal against the United States.

Brazilian-Cuban star Yoandy Leal was born in Havana also on this day, in 1988.
He became one of the most spectacular outside hitters of his generation, first making his name with Cuba and later becoming a Brazilian international. His career is particularly unusual because he represented two major volleyball powers, winning major international honours with both the Cuban and Brazilian volleyball systems.

Italian middle blocker Yasmina Akrari was born in Turin on August 31, 1993.
Her career is an interesting example of a player who took a less conventional route to the top level: she spent eight seasons with Lilliput before moving to Chieri and eventually establishing herself in Serie A1. She made her Italy debut in 2024.

A particularly nice name for the beach-volleyball section, Norwegian Jørre André Kjemperud was born on this day in 1968 and became one of Norway’s best-known beach volleyball players, most famously alongside Vegard Høidalen.
Interestingly, he originally played indoor volleyball and used beach volleyball as preparation for the indoor season before eventually making the beach game his main discipline.

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In Italy, opposite Alessandro Bovolenta is back to his club, Gas Sales BluEnergy Piacenza.

“There was a little disappointment after a long summer with the national team and missing out on the European Championship, but now I’m happy to be back here in Piacenza and working for my club. I’m motivated and eager to get back to work. We have a demanding year ahead of us; repeating what we achieved last season will never be easy, but I want to build on the work we did last year and maintain that momentum,” he said in club’s official statement.

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The hosts Italy climbed onto the podium twice but were denied gold as France claimed the men’s title and Türkiye completed a golden women’s campaign at the 2026 Mediterranean Games.

Greece has made history at EuroVolley 2026 Women, reaching the quarterfinals for the FIRST TIME EVER!
They produced a sensational performance against France, sweeping the Round of 16 clash in straight sets: 25:16, 25:18, 25:20.
A historic moment for Greek volleyball: Greece returns to the European top eight after 35 years, with their previous top-eight finish coming in 1991.
After dropping the opening set, Serbia stormed back to defeat Croatia 3–1 and book their place in the Quarterfinals, 19:25, 25:19, 25:17 and 25:12.
Serbia now faces Greece in the quarterfinals, with a place in the semifinals on the line!
Italy delivers a dominant straight-sets performance against Bulgaria to book their place in the Quarterfinals, 25:18, 25:13 and 25:13.
The reigning bronze medalists Netherlands advance to the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive edition of the Women’s EuroVolley after a five-set thriller against Slovenia: 25:18, 19:25, 25:21, 29:31, 15:9.
Today on the field also Poland vs. Portugal and Czech Republic vs. Sweden.

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