VolleyBar106# : Monday October 12, 2026

On this day…
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, italian pre-season, AXA Sigorta Champions Cup, Belgium, Brazil, Transfers and Philippines

Welcome to the 106th Episode of VolleyBar, the first one after our usual weekend break.
A little reminder for our new readers: this is the first-ever daily column dedicated to bringing together all the major volleyball news of the day. Anything similar you see elsewhere is nothing more than a cheap imitation, copied by people who have even gone so far as to publish word-for-word Italian translations of our articles, naturally without crediting the original source. And to make matters worse, most of the news they publish comes straight from VolleyBar!

October 12 has a few genuinely significant entries for the volleyball calendar, including a landmark world title for the United States, the conclusion of two major championships from the sport’s earlier decades, and a World Championship semifinal that featured one of the defining teams of the modern era.

In 1970, East Germany become men’s world champions.
The men’s World Championship in Bulgaria concluded on October 12, with East Germany taking the title for the first and only time. The tournament featured 24 national teams and was played across four Bulgarian cities.
The triumph was a major upset in an era dominated by established powers such as the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Rudi Schumann of East Germany was named the tournament’s most valuable player. 

In 1979, the Soviet Union reclaim the European men’s crown.
The men’s European Championship in France also ended on October 12, with the Soviet Union taking its seventh continental title. Poland finished second and Yugoslavia third.
The tournament’s final round was held in Paris. It was another chapter in the long-running rivalry between the Soviet Union and Poland, two of the strongest European sides of the period. 

In 2014, the United States win their first women’s World Championship.
On October 12, the United States defeated China 3–1 (27:25, 25:20, 16:25, 26:24) in the final at Milan’s Mediolanum Forum, in front of 12,600 spectators. Kimberly Hill scored 20 points and finished the match with the decisive attack, while captain Christa Harmotto Dietzen contributed 15.
It was a landmark achievement: the USA had never won the women’s World Championship, Olympic tournament or World Cup before. Brazil claimed bronze after beating hosts Italy 3–2.

In 2015, Men’s EuroVolley action in Italy and Bulgaria. October 12 fell during the knockout phase of the European Championship. Serbia were among the teams fighting for a quarterfinal place, while Estonia’s presence in the final round was itself a notable achievement for a country with a much smaller volleyball population. The CEV’s contemporary coverage highlighted Estonia’s meeting with Serbia as a major test.

In 2022, Serbia beat the United States 3–1 (25:21, 25:20, 17:25, 25:23) in Gliwice, Poland, on October 12. Tijana Bošković led the way as the defending champions stopped the reigning Olympic champions from reaching the gold-medal match.
The result sent Serbia into a second consecutive World Championship final. They went on to defeat Brazil in the final and retain their world title.

On October 12, 2023, there is also a memory about Sitting volleyball’s European Championships. The competition in Italy were underway in October, with both the men’s and women’s tournaments serving as important qualification events on the road to the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Contemporary coverage from World ParaVolley highlights the strength of Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the men’s competition, and Italy and Slovenia in the women’s. The reports were published on October 12, but describe matches played on the preceding day, so they should not be presented as October 12 match anniversaries.

Christa Harmotto Dietzen was born October 12, 1986. The former USA middle blocker turns 40 today. A two-time NCAA champion with Penn State, she won Olympic silver in London in 2012 and was captain of the United States team that captured its first women’s World Championship in 2014. That final victory over China makes her especially relevant to today’s anniversary.

Yang Hanyu was born October 12, 1999.
The Chinese middle blocker is another birthday worth noting. A member of China’s senior national-team setup, she has featured in Volleyball Nations League campaigns and at major international competitions. Her generation has helped China remain competitive at the top level of women’s volleyball. 

Back to the present, in Italy, Cucine Lube Civitanova defeated Allianz Milano 3–1 (25:23, 29:31, 25:21, 25:14) in Sunday’s final of Jesi Volley Cup, winning the preseason tournament for the second time. Setter Simeon Nikolov was named MVP, while his brother Alex scored 16 points. The result offers a useful snapshot of the teams just before the new SuperLega season begins, while Valsa Group Modena won fifth Trofeo Ferramenta Astori after defeating Rana Verona in final.

Acqua Sant’Anna Cuneo have scheduled the presentation of their 2026/27 playing kit for 19:00 today at Podio Sport in Madonna dell’Olmo. Domenico Cavaccini, Nathan Feral, Thibault Loubeyre and Poriya Khanzadeh are expected to meet supporters. The new jersey’s design puts the club’s eagle emblem at the centre of its identity.

Piacenza finish preseason unbeaten!
Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza defeated Trentino 3–0 in the Sardinia Cup final, completing their preseason with nine wins from nine matches.
The result is a positive sign for Piacenza ahead of the SuperLega campaign, although preseason form is not a substitute for the challenges of the regular season.

Ziraat Bankkart Ankara and Galatasaray are scheduled to meet in the AXA Sigorta Champions Cup in Kırıkkale at 18:00 Turkish time. It is the men’s season-opening trophy, following VakıfBank’s victory in the women’s Super Cup on October 6.

In Belgium, Knack Roeselare lifted the Belgian Supercup for the 12th time in club history on Sunday, defeating Menen 3–0 (25:17, 26:24, 25:17) in the final.

In Brazil, Itambé Minas have been crowned champions of the 2026 Minas Gerais Men’s Volleyball Championship, ending a 19-year wait for the state title!
The Belo Horizonte side defeated Praia Clube 3–0 in Sunday’s final (October 11) at Mineirinho Arena, winning the Mineiro championship for the first time since 2007, when the team was still known as Telemig Celular/Minas.
The triumph also brings an end to a run of 16 consecutive final defeats against Sada Cruzeiro, who had to settle for the bronze medal in this year’s edition.
A historic achievement for Itambé Minas!

Pakistan national team opposite hitter Fahad Raza is set to join Lebanon’s
Qnat Volleyball Club for the upcoming 2026–27 season, while Indonesian national team outside hitter and captain Farhan Halim is set to return to Nakhon Ratchasima for the upcoming 2026/27 season. He was part of the club’s championship-winning squad during the 2023/24 Thailand Volleyball League season, helping Nakhon Ratchasima capture the title.
He will reunite with the Thai powerhouse after his stint in Vietnam, as the club aims to secure its fifth consecutive Thailand League championship.

In The Philippines, the NU Bulldogs are officially the new V-League Collegiate Challenge champions.
NU dethroned defending champions FEU Tamaraws, winning Game 3 of the best-of-three series in a thrilling five-set reverse sweep: 23:25, 19:25, 30:28, 25:21, 16:14.
After dropping the first two sets, the Bulldogs fought back to stay alive with a dramatic 30–28 third-set victory. The tension reached its peak in the deciding fifth set, when NU trailed 11–14 and faced three consecutive championship points. Showing tremendous composure and fighting spirit, the Bulldogs saved all three match points before completing an incredible comeback to win the set 16–14 and claim the championship!
NU’s Jade Disquitado was named Finals MVP, while FEU’s Dryx Saavedra took home Conference MVP honors.

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