VolleyBar108# : Wednesday October 14, 2026

On this day…
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, Campeonato Paulista, Italy and Earvin Ngapeth

Welcome to the 108th Episode of VolleyBar!
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 poor 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 here. Absolutely ridicoulous!

October 14 brings together some fascinating international milestones: the Soviet Union and Brazil reaching the final of the 1982 men’s World Championship, Italy and France advancing at the 2015 men’s EuroVolley, but not only!

On October 14, 1982 Brazil defeated Japan 3–0 (15:7, 20:18, 15:11), while the Soviet Union beat hosts Argentina 3–0 (15:7, 15:10, 15:9) in the other semifinal at the World Championship in Buenos Aires.
The results set up a final between two of the great powers of the era. The Soviet Union ultimately won the title, beating Brazil in straight sets the following day. Argentina went on to secure the bronze medal, a landmark achievement for the hosts. 

Italy beat Russia 3–0 (25:20, 25:19, 25:19) in Busto Arsizio to reach the semifinals of the men’s European Championship 2015. Ivan Zaytsev led the Italian scoring with 14 points, while Filippo Lanza and the Italian block helped the hosts control the match.
France also advanced, beating Serbia 3–1 (25:22, 25:23, 14:25, 25:20). Antonin Rouzier scored 20 points, and the victory continued France’s strong tournament after their World League triumph earlier that year.
The other quarterfinals brought another major story: Slovenia upset reigning world champions Poland to reach the semifinals for the first time, while Bulgaria defeated Germany to keep their medal hopes alive in front of their home crowd in Sofia.

In 1964, volleyball was making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, and October 14 featured five men’s matches. The Soviet Union beat the Netherlands 3–0, Romania defeated Brazil 3–0, and the United States edged South Korea 3–2. Hungary beat Japan 3–0, while Czechoslovakia prevailed over Bulgaria 3–2.
The women’s tournament was also underway: Japan defeated South Korea 3–0. Japan would eventually win the inaugural Olympic women’s title, establishing a legacy that helped transform volleyball’s popularity in the country. 

10 years later, in 1974, the men’s World Championship included a 3–0 victory for Mexico over Tunisia on October 14, an important result for the hosts in the early group stage. The Netherlands also beat the Dominican Republic 3–1.
On the women’s side, the World Championship programme included several competitive pool matches: Brazil edged Hungary 3–2, Canada beat Bulgaria 3–2, South Korea defeated Czechoslovakia 3–1, and Romania swept the Philippines.

The CEV-EEVZA Satellite tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan, concluded on October 14 with Russia winning both the men’s and women’s competitions. The event brought together pairs from across Europe and marked the final tournament on the 2017 beach volleyball calendar.
It was a useful reminder of the depth of the European beach circuit beyond the major FIVB World Tour events.

Eckehard Pietzsch was born on October 14, 1939.
A member of East Germany’s early international volleyball generation, he competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. His career belongs to a period when European volleyball was dominated by the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and the emerging Eastern European national teams. 

The Yugoslav international Aleksandar Tasevski, born on October 14, 1953, represented his country at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where Yugoslavia finished sixth. He was also part of the national-team generation associated with the country’s bronze medal at the 1979 European Championship and gold at the 1979 Mediterranean Games. 

The Brazilian player Heloísa Roese, born on October 14, 1956, was part of the national team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where Brazil finished seventh. She had previously won bronze at the 1979 Pan American Games, an important achievement during the development of Brazil’s women’s programme into a future international powerhouse. 

Christina Benecke was born on October 14, 1974. The German middle blocker represented her country at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games. She was also part of Germany’s bronze-medal-winning squad at the 2003 European Championship and played professionally in both Germany and Italy, including for Romanelli Firenze. 

The German outside hitter, nicknamed “Sigi” Mark Siebeck, born on October 14, 1975, competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His club career included a spell with VakıfBank Ankara, reflecting the international movement of players between European leagues well before today’s increasingly global transfer market.

Charo Soriano was born on October 14, 1985.
A Filipino volleyball player and coach, he competed in indoor and beach volleyball and became one of the founders of Beach Volleyball Republic, an initiative that helped promote the sport in the Philippines. Her career is a good example of how players can contribute to the growth of volleyball beyond their playing results.

Ahlam Amrani was born on October 14, 1991. The Algerian middle blocker has played for clubs including MC Alger and ASW Béjaïa. Her birthday adds a North African name to the list, a region whose domestic competitions and national teams are often less visible in mainstream international volleyball coverage. 

Nik Mujanović, born on October 14, 2004, turns 22 today!
The Slovenian opposite is one of the most promising young players of his generation. Standing at around 2.06 m, he began his senior career with Calcit Kamnik before moving to Italy with Vero Volley Monza in 2023–24, where he reached the finals of the Italian Championship, Italian Cup and CEV Cup.
He subsequently established himself in France, playing for Paris Volley, Poitiers and Tours. With Tours, he won the French Super Cup and was named the league’s best opposite in 2025–26. A Slovenia international since 2022, he won bronze at the 2023 European Championship and the 2023 World Cup. For the 2026–27 season, he joined Modena Volley in Italy’s SuperLega!

Back to the present, in Brazil, Osasco São Cristóvão Saúde won the Campeonato Paulista after defeating Sesi Bauru in the deciding golden set. Bauru had won the return leg 3–1, but Osasco’s first-leg advantage forced the additional set, which Osasco won 25–21. Tifanny Abreu, the first trans woman to play in the Brazilian Women’s Volleyball Superliga, scored the decisive point.
The title was Osasco’s 19th in the competition. The result is also a significant talking point because questions remain over Tifanny’s future in Brazil’s national league under the federation’s new eligibility rules. 

In Italy, FIPAV celebrates 80 years of volleyball history!
The Italian Volleyball Federation’s anniversary celebrations continued in Genoa with the Trofeo Gian Luigi Corti, an event dedicated to the sport’s history and future generations. The gathering took place on October 13, with the federation publishing its report on October 14.
Genoa holds a special place in Italian volleyball history: the city hosted the first Italian national championship in 1946. The anniversary is an opportunity to look back at eight decades of growth, from the sport’s early domestic foundations to Italy’s modern international success.

Yesterday Allianz Milano presented their squad and coaching staff for 2026/27 at Torre Allianz, beginning a new chapter under Guillermo Falasca.
Falasca succeeds Roberto Piazza, whose tenure lasted seven seasons, and becomes the first foreign head coach in Powervolley’s history.
The squad blends Robertlandy Simón’s experience with a younger generation. Libero Damiano Catania, 25, takes the captaincy as he enters his fourth season at the club.

There will also be a new commentary line-up for Rai Sport‘s SuperLega coverage. Journalist and basketball expert Edi Dembinski takes over as lead commentator, with former Italy middle blocker Matteo Piano providing expert analysis. Luca Vettori is expected to join the team for selected broadcasts.

Earvin Ngapeth reflects his career in Magic, his autobiography written with journalist Guillaume Degoulet and published in French by Hugo Sport on 30 September. Ngapeth recalls the support he received from Nikola Grbić and Hubert Henno after arriving in Cuneo and questioning whether he was ready to compete at that level.
Alongside those moments, he offers his own perspective on the controversies of his career and reflects on why a team full of talented players does not necessarily become a winning side.

Qatar’s powerhouse duo of Cherif Younousse Samba and Ahmed Tija captured the men’s gold medal of AVC Doha Open 2026 on home soil, defeating Australia’s Oliver Merritt and Jed Walker in the final: 21–13, 21–18.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Taravadee Naraphornrapat and Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee clinched the women’s gold medal after defeating Japan’s Asami Shiba and Reika Murakami in straight sets: 21–19, 21–12.

Podium Finishers:

Men
🥇 🇶🇦 Cherif/Ahmed
🥈 🇦🇺 Merritt/Walker
🥉 🇦🇺 Bushby/Schumann

Women
🥇 🇹🇭 Naraphonrapat/Worapeerachayakorn
🥈 🇯🇵 Shiba/Reika
🥉 🇦🇺 Milutinovic/Phillips

___________________

👀|QUICK LINKS
• VolleyBAR 📝🏐
• Multimedia
• Facebook
• Instagram

___________________