On this day..
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, Titouan Hallé, AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship, Women’s Pan American Cup, NORCECA…
Welcome to 82th episode of VolleyBar!
One of the biggest volleyball stories associated with September 8 came in 2019, when Serbia defeated hosts Türkiye 3–2 in Ankara to retain the Women’s European Championship title.
The final was a spectacular battle: Türkiye won the opening set 25–21, but Serbia responded by taking the next two 25–21, 25–21. The hosts forced a deciding set by winning the fourth 25–22, only for Serbia to prevail 15–13 in the tiebreak.
Tijana Bošković scored 23 points and was named MVP, while Brankica Mihajlović added 22. The victory gave Serbia their third European title, following their triumphs in 2011 and 2017. It also made them the latest team to win back-to-back EuroVolley titles, joining Italy and Russia in that exclusive group.
Earlier that day, Italy defeated Poland 3–0 to win the bronze medal, returning to the EuroVolley podium for the first time since their 2009 title. Paola Egonu scored 23 points.
September 8, 2019 was also a major day for beach volleyball in Italy, as the FIVB World Tour Finals concluded at Rome’s Foro Italico.
On the men’s side, Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy defeated Germany’s Julius Thole and Clemens Wickler 2–0 (21:16, 21:16).
The victory was particularly significant because it came just two months after the Russian pair had beaten the same German team in the 2019 World Championship final in Hamburg. They therefore completed an extraordinary double, becoming world champions and then winning the season-ending World Tour Finals.
The women’s title went to Germany’s Laura Ludwig and Margareta Kozuch, who defeated Brazil’s Ágatha Bednarczuk and Duda Lisboa 21:19, 21:17.
For Laura, the victory was especially emotional. After taking time away from the sport following the birth of her son and seeing her Olympic champion partnership with Kira Walkenhorst come to an end, she had returned to the top with a new partner. Rome therefore marked a spectacular comeback to the biggest stage.
Twenty-three years before Rome, another important beach-volleyball story began on September 8.
In 1996, Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar won the Puerto Rico Open, recording the first of their astonishing 31 FIVB World Tour victories together.
That first title was the beginning of one of the most successful partnerships in the history of women’s beach volleyball. By the time they eventually separated, the Brazilian duo had become synonymous with dominance on the international circuit.
The same day produced another Brazilian victory.
Ze Marco de Melo and Emanuel Rego won the Tenerife Open, collecting the ninth of their 15 FIVB World Tour titles together.
Emanuel would go on to become one of the greatest players in beach-volleyball history, eventually winning Olympic gold in Athens in 2004 with Ricardo Santos and silver in London in 2012 with Alison Cerutti.
In 2002, Martin and Paul Laciga of Switzerland won the Mallorca Open, recording the fourth FIVB World Tour victory of their partnership.
The Laciga brothers were among Switzerland’s most important beach-volleyball names of that era and helped establish the country as a regular presence at the top level of the sport.
September 8, 2007 also has an Italian connection at youth level.
In 2007, Liliane Maestrini and Bárbara Seixas won the FIVB Under-21 World Championship in Modena, collecting the first and only FIVB title of their partnership.
Seixas would later become a major figure in Brazilian beach volleyball, winning Olympic silver at Rio 2016 alongside Agatha.
September 8, 2010, not a match, but an important institutional date.
On this day, the FIVB held its first-ever Congress Workshop in Rome, ahead of the federation’s 32nd World Congress.
More than 100 representatives from developing volleyball federations took part, with discussions covering development programmes, the FIVB Development Fund, World Vision 2012 and the Continental Beach Volleyball Cup.
Former American middle blocker Brett Winslow was born on this day in 1967.
Brett was captain of Long Beach State’s 1991 NCAA championship team, was a two-time All-American and later became a member of the Long Beach State Hall of Fame. He also represented the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where the Americans finished ninth.
American middle blocker Lauren Gibbemeyer was born on September 8, 1988.
A standout at Minnesota, she went on to play professionally in several countries, including Italy, where she represented Imoco Volley Conegliano, Casalmaggiore and Novara. She was also part of the United States national team from 2011 to 2018.
Filipina middle blocker Mary Remy Joy Palma was born on September 8, 1995.
A former FEU Lady Tamaraw, she became a prominent figure in the Philippine professional game, playing for teams including Petron, Petro Gazz and, from 2026, Farm Fresh Foxies.
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In France, outside hitter Titouan Hallé leaves Nice to join Cyprus’ Pafiakos Paphos.
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Japan has officially clinched the top seed in Pool A of the AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship!
They completed a dominant preliminary round (3-0) with a straight-sets sweep over Australia (2-1), keeping their momentum rolling on the road to LA 2028: 25:20, 25:13, 25:21.
Both teams advance to the quarterfinals.
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2026 Women’s Pan American Cup returns to León, Guanajuato from September 11 to 18.
Three World Cup Berths and One Ticket to
LA 2028 at Stake in Moncton, Canada.
At Avenir Centre, September 11-16: NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship and then, September 18-19: NORCECA Men’s Olympic Qualifier.
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