VolleyBar77# : Tuesday September 1, 2026

On this day..
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, 2026 AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship, Australia, EuroVolleyW and Thailand.

Welcome September and welcome to 77th episode of VolleyBar!
We start the new month with some memories and events happened today in world of volleyball.

On September 1, 1990, the Soviet Union won the Women’s World Championship in Beijing, defeating hosts and defending champions China 3–1 (15:13, 6:15, 15:9, 16:14) in a spectacular final.
The setting could hardly have been more symbolic. China had won the previous three editions of the World Championship and had become the dominant force of women’s volleyball, while the Soviet Union arrived in Beijing as the reigning Olympic champions.
In front of a home crowd, China fought back after losing the opening set, but the Soviet side regained control and closed the match in four sets. The Soviet Union claimed its fifth World Championship title, while China had to settle for silver. The United States completed the podium with bronze.
It was also the last World Championship title won by the Soviet Union, just months before the dissolution of the USSR.
A perfect historical story for September 1: the end of one Soviet era and one of the final great triumphs of Soviet women’s volleyball!

September 1, 2002 brought another interesting World Championship moment.
At the women’s World Championship in Germany, Puerto Rico defeated Argentina 3–2 (23:25, 25:23, 25:19, 17:25, 15:13), with Puerto Rican star Aury Cruz scoring 20 points.
It was a match of extraordinary balance: the two teams finished with exactly 105 points apiece, in which Argentina’s Carolina Costagrande produced a superb 33-point performance.
The result was particularly remarkable because this was Puerto Rico’s first-ever appearance at the Women’s World Championship. After three matches, they were still undefeated at 3–0 and sitting second in their pool behind the United States. Cruz had already accumulated 54 points, making her the fifth-highest scorer of the entire tournament at that stage.
Puerto Rico eventually reached the second round, making that debut one of the most memorable in the country’s volleyball history.

The beach volleyball calendar also has something nice for the date.
On September 1, 2002, the FIVB World Tour event in Xylokastro, Greece, concluded with the Dutch pair Sanne Keizer and Arjanne Stevens winning the women’s gold medal.
They defeated Germany’s Claudia Lehmann and Friederike Romberg 24–22, 21–14 in the final.
The tournament had run from August 28 to September 1 and was part of the rapidly expanding international beach volleyball circuit of the early 2000s.

September 1, 2018 produced a particularly unusual beach volleyball story in Montpellier.
The CEV/FIVB 1-Star event ended with French teams taking four of the six available medals, including a clean sweep of the men’s podium.
On the women’s side, Switzerland’s Esmée Böbner and Zoé Vergé-Dépré reached the final after coming through qualification, while France’s Alexandra Jupiter and Lézana Placette advanced to the gold-medal match.
A nice little European beach-volleyball anecdote for the day.

And because our calendar is getting very close to the present day, we should definitely mention September 1, 2025.
At the Women’s World Championship in Thailand, the Round of 16 concluded with two European/North American clashes.
The United States defeated Canada, while Türkiye defeated World Championship debutants Slovenia 3–0 (30:28, 25:13, 29:27). The Turkish victory completed the quarterfinal line-up and sent Türkiye into the last eight for another attempt to reach a first-ever World Championship medal.
The Slovenia match was particularly dramatic: the first and third sets went beyond 25, with Türkiye eventually surviving 30–28 and 29–27. Slovenia’s first World Championship campaign therefore ended in the Round of 16, but the debutants had already made history by reaching the knockout stage.

Born in Ravenna on September 1, 1977, Simona Rinieri was one of the key Italian players of the generation that transformed Italy into a women’s volleyball powerhouse.
She represented Italy at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 and was part of the legendary Italian team that won the 2002 World Championship in Germany — Italy’s first women’s World Championship title.

Former Japanese outside hitter Norihiko Miyazaki was born on September 1, 1969, in Saijō, Ehime. He played for Japan during the 1990s and was part of the national team at the 1998 World Championship, where Japan finished 16th.

Martina Schmidt was born in Parchim on September 1, 1960, and represented East Germany.
Her major achievement came at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where East Germany won the women’s silver medal. Schmidt appeared in three matches during that Olympic tournament.

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The pools are officially set for the 2026 AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship, taking place from September 4–13, 2026, in Fukuoka, Japan!

Pool A: Japan, Australia, Bahrain, Oman
Pool B: Iran, China, India, New Zealand
Pool C: Qatar, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand

At stake: the champion qualifies for LA 2028, while the top three secure places at the 2027 FIVB World Championship.

Which team will lift the AVC crown in Fukuoka?
The Thai Men’s National Team is ready wit following roster:
Ouside hitters: Chaiwat Thungkham, Anurak Phanram, Thanat Bamrunghphakdi, Jak krit Thanomnoi
Middle Blockers: Anuchit Pakdeekaew, Thupadit Phraphut, Prasert Pinkaew, Kiadtiphum Ramsin
Opposites: Suwit Mahasiri Yothin, Napadet Bhinijdee
Setters: Narongrit Janpirom, Boonyarid Wongtorn
Liberos: Phakphong Kwangnok, Nakharin Inthanu

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Australia is ready too:

Outside hitters: Sam Flowerday, Beau Graham, Lorenzo Pope, Nehemiah Mote, Luke Smith
Middle Blockers: James Weir, Trent O’Dea
Opposites: Matthew Aubrey, Lincoln Williams, William D’Arcy
Setters: Arshdeep Dosanjh, Nicholas Butler
Liberos: Luke Perry, Jackson Holland

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Greece, who has made history at EuroVolley 2026 Women, reaching the quarterfinals for the FIRST TIME EVER, will face Serbia in quarterfinals while Italy will face Sweden, who defeated Czechia in straight sets to advance to the Final 8: 25:19, 25:23, 25:21.
This marks Sweden’s second quarterfinal appearance in EuroVolley history!
Meanwhile, Poland cruised past Portugal with a straight-sets sweep to book their place in the Final 8 too: 25:18, 25:17, 25:23. Their rival in quarterfinals is reigning bronze medalists Netherlands.
And today Germany advances to the Top 8 of the Women’s European Volleyball Championship after defeating Belgium in a thrilling five-set battle: 20:25, 25:21, 25:20, 25:27, 15:8.
In quarterfinals the rival is the winners of the clash between Türkiye and Azerbaijan (we will update final result here).

The Thailand Volleyball Association is also targeting the gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
Thailand, which just made history by securing a ticket to the LA 2028 Olympics for the first time ever, is now aiming to make another piece of history at the Asian Games.
The Thai women have never won the women’s volleyball gold medal at the Asian Games. They came closest in 2018, reaching the final before falling to China in straight sets.
Thailand has also claimed two bronze medals, finishing third at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon and again at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou!

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