VolleyBar104# : Friday October 9, 2026

On this day…
César Hernández, women’s volleyball in Poland and Japan, amarcord and volleyball birthdays, 2026 Oji Cup, Trentino Volley and Emanuele Zanini.

Welcome to the 104th Episode of VolleyBar, the last one after our usual weekend break.

The French Volleyball Federation announced on October 8 that it would not renew César Hernández‘s appointment after two years in charge. The federation is now considering candidates to succeed him. It is a significant development for France as the women’s programme looks ahead to the 2027 World Cup.

In Poland, Łódź derby headlines Friday’s schedule
PGE Budowlani Łódź face ŁKS Commercecon Łódź on October 9 in one of the early-season highlights of the Polish women’s TAURON Liga.
The local rivalry arrives just as the new domestic campaign is getting underway. 

The 2026/27 Japanese women’s Daido Life SV.League gets underway this weekend. With matches available internationally through VBTV, the start of the Japanese season adds another major competition to the increasingly busy autumn calendar.

On October 9, 2010, Brazil reach the men’s World Championship final in Rome. Brazil defeated Italy 3–1 in the semifinal at the PalaLottomatica in front of 12,178 spectators. Italy fought back to win the third set, with Alessandro Fei scoring 20 points, but Leandro Vissotto led Brazil with 24. Brazil went on to defeat Cuba in the final and claim a third consecutive world title. Italy eventually finished fourth after losing the bronze-medal match to Serbia.

On this day in 2011, Nummerdor and Schuil win the Agadir Open. Dutch beach volleyball stars Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil defeated Germany’s Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann 22:20, 16:21, 15:11 in the final in Morocco. It was another major success for one of Europe’s leading beach pairs of that era.

On October 9, 2013, Diatec Trentino defeated Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata 3–0 (25:23, 25:23, 25:21) at PalaTrento to lift the trophy in front of their home crowd, adding another chapter to the club’s golden era.
The victory came four years after Trentino’s first triumph in the competition, in 2011, and gave the home supporters another reason to celebrate one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
The scoreline suggested a comfortable evening, but Macerata pushed Trentino hard throughout the match. The first two sets were decided by just two points each, with Roberto Serniotti’s team showing the composure needed to come through the decisive rallies. Trentino also had to recover from difficult situations in all three sets before closing out the contest in straight sets.
Tsvetan Sokolov led the way with 17 points, while Suxho orchestrated the attack and was named Most Valuable Player. Ferreira and Lanza contributed eight points apiece, and Trentino also found important support at the net from Birarelli and Burgsthaler. Colaci’s defensive work helped the hosts maintain control during the crucial moments.
The trophy added to a remarkable run for Trentino, who had already established themselves among Europe’s leading clubs through their domestic and international success. The team’s celebrations would be brief: just days later, they were due to travel to Brazil for the FIVB Club World Championship, with another major challenge waiting on the international stage.

On October 9, 2015, Serbia opened their men’s EuroVolley campaign in Busto Arsizio, Italy, with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Slovakia.
The set scores — 25:22, 22:25, 30:28, 24:26, 15:9 — tell the story of a match in which Slovakia repeatedly pushed the more experienced Serbians to the limit. Serbia eventually prevailed in the tie-break, making a strong start to a tournament in which they were among the medal contenders.

October 9, 2022 was a decisive day at the FIVB Women’s World Championship in the Netherlands and Poland.
China defeated Belgium 3–0 (25:18, 25:18, 27:25) in Rotterdam to secure the last available quarter-final spot from Pool E. Belgium fought hard in the third set, recovering from a deficit to force an extended finish, but China held on.
Japan also finished the second phase strongly, beating the Netherlands 3–0 (25:23, 25:23, 25:21). The result confirmed Japan’s place in the quarter-finals and ended the Dutch campaign in front of their home crowd.

And now a moving story from Albania: in October 2011, Teuta Durrës won the Federation Cup for the third consecutive year. The competition was dedicated to Juxhin Guza, a player who had recently died in a car accident.
Teuta defeated Studenti Tirana 3–0 in the final, and the players donated their trophy to Guza’s family. His sister, Rozalba, served the first ball of the final.
The CEV report was published on October 9, although the tournament itself had taken place over the preceding weekend. 

The Latvian volleyball player Astra Biltauere, born on October 9, 1944, represented the Soviet Union and won Olympic silver at Tokyo 1964.

Marco Martinelli is born on October 9, 1965. The Italian middle blocker was part of the national-team generation that won the 1994 men’s World Championship. Italy’s title in Greece remains one of the defining achievements in the country’s volleyball history.

The Italian libero Francesco D’Amico, born on October 9, 1999, turns 27 today. He has played in Italy’s professional club system, making him a relevant domestic name for an Italian volleyball roundup, even if he is not as internationally prominent as the biggest national-team stars. 

Argentine volleyball player Agostina Soria also celebrates her birthday today, turning 28. She is a useful name for a broader international list, although I would give her less space than an Olympic medallist or a major senior international star. 

Back to the present, Sir Susa Scai Perugia claimed the 2026 Oji Cup – World Challenge Series, completing a double victory over Suntory Sunbirds Osaka with a convincing 3–0 win (25:21, 25:11, 25:14) in the second meeting between the teams.
Giovanni Sanguinetti stole the spotlight on his first appearance in a Perugia jersey, scoring 13 points and earning the MVP award. The middle blocker immediately demonstrated his attacking efficiency and versatility, making an impressive debut as part of a commanding team performance.
Perugia finished the match with 77% attacking efficiency, eight winning blocks and three aces. The Italian side tightened its grip on the contest as the match progressed, particularly in the final two sets, to seal the trophy after also winning the opening encounter.

Staying in Italy, Itas Trentino, after libero Gabriele Laurenzano, confirmed also Alessandro Michieletto and Riccardo Sbertoli until 2029.

Meanwhile, Italian coach Emanuele Zanini leaves after guiding Belgium from 28th to 15th in the world rankings, leading the Red Dragons to their first-ever Volleyball Nations League appearance and a sixth-place finish at EuroVolley 2026.

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