VolleyBar109# : Thursday October 15, 2026

On this day…
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, remembering Oļegs Antropovs, Philippines Men’s and Women’s national teams and France

Welcome to the 109th Episode of VolleyBar!
Yes! Already 109!

At the Mexico City Olympics, on October 15, 1968, the United States defeated the Soviet Union 3–2 in the men’s round-robin tournament. It was a notable result against the defending Olympic champions, who would nevertheless go on to win gold again. The USA finished seventh, while the Soviet Union topped the final standings.

On this day, October 15, 1982, the Soviet Union defeated Brazil 3–0 in the World Championship final at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, on the last day of the tournament. Argentina claimed third place with a straight-sets win over Japan. The day also featured classification matches throughout the competition: Bulgaria finished fifth, China seventh, Czechoslovakia ninth and Canada eleventh.

In Poland, on October 15, 2014, Indykpol AZS Olsztyn defeated BBTS Bielsko-Biała 3–2 (25:22, 22:25, 25:18, 24:26, 15:13) in the PlusLiga. The match was notable locally because former Olsztyn players Wojciech Ferens and Wojciech Sobala returned with BBTS, while Piotr Gruszka was making his coaching debut.

In 2017, in Italy, in the opening round of the 2017–18 men’s SuperLega, Calzedonia Verona defeated Taiwan Excellence Latina 3–2, winning the deciding set 19–17.

In 2018, Italy beat hosts Japan 3–2 (25:20, 22:25, 25:21, 19:25, 15:13) to reach the semifinals of the women’s World Championship. It was the Italians’ tenth consecutive victory in the tournament, an impressive run that took them into the final four before they eventually finished with silver.

On October 15, 2022, Serbia defeated Brazil 3–0 (26:24, 25:22, 25:17) in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, to defend the world title they had first won in 2018. The Serbians completed an unbeaten campaign of 12 victories, with Tijana Bošković once again at the heart of their success. Italy beat the United States 3–0 earlier that day to take bronze.

In 2023, the American pair Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes defeated Brazil’s defending champions Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos 2–0 (21:16, 24:22) in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Brazil had reached the final without dropping a set, making the American victory a particularly striking finish to the tournament. It was the United States’ first women’s world title since 2009!

The men’s final in Tlaxcala also took place on October 15, 2023. Perušič and Schweiner defeated Sweden’s David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig to become world champions. The Czech pair’s triumph made it a memorable closing day for the beach volleyball championships, with the United States winning the women’s title and Czechia the men’s.

Also on October 15, 2023 — CAVA Men’s Challenge Cup: Hosts Sri Lanka won the final against Uzbekistan in Colombo, reversing their earlier round-robin defeat to the same opponents. Afghanistan took bronze by beating Saudi Arabia 3–0. This is a useful regional competition entry for a wider international roundup.

Sérgio Dutra Santos (“Serginho”) was born in 1975, and turns 51 today!
One of the greatest liberos in the history of volleyball, he won Olympic gold in Athens in 2004 and Rio in 2016, adding two Olympic silver medals in between. He became the first libero to be named MVP of an Olympic volleyball tournament, receiving the honour at Rio 2016.

A powerful outside hitter who became an important figure in Italian women’s volleyball after establishing herself in the professional game, Carolina Costagrande turns 46 today. Born in El Trébol, Argentina, she represented Italy at the London 2012 Olympics and played for leading European clubs, including Conegliano. 

Megan Hodge Easy was born on this day in 1988.
A former Penn State standout and one of the key outside hitters in the American programme, she won Olympic silver at London 2012 and was part of the United States team that became one of the world’s leading forces in women’s volleyball during that period. 

Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong were born in 1996
South Korea, and both turn 30 today.
The twin sisters were prominent figures in South Korean volleyball: Jae-yeong as an outside hitter and Da-yeong as a setter. Both represented South Korea internationally and helped the team qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Oļegs Antropovs died on October 15, 2023, aged 75.
The Latvian volleyball figure, born in the Kazakh SSR, represented the Soviet Union as a player and was part of the team that won Olympic gold at Mexico City 1968. He later became a coach, helping Radiotehnika Riga win the Soviet championship in 1983–84 and leading Soviet youth teams to major international titles. He also coached Russia’s national team in 1998.

Back to the present, a new chapter is unfolding for the Philippine national volleyball squads. Coach Angiolino Frigoni has been officially appointed as the interim head coach for the Alas Pilipinas Women’s national team.
Meanwhile, in the men’s division, a familiar leader is back at the helm. Coach Dante Alinsunurin is making his highly anticipated return, officially stepping back in as the head coach of the Alas Pilipinas Men’s national team.

In France, what about captains of 14 teams? And then there is a legend og international volleyball.
Becoming captain for the first time at 35? For Earvin Ngapeth, it wasn’t an anomaly, but rather a case of the right place at the right time, following his second Olympic medal and his return to his roots.
“An anomaly? No, because in the French national team, Benjamin Toniutti had been our captain ever since we were playing in the youth teams. I’ve always had a bit of a leadership role behind the scenes in the teams I’ve played for, but it was never anything official. Here at Tours, though, I think the timing was right. I had just won my second Olympic medal, and I was returning to France after 15 years abroad.”

The Tours–Poitiers derby is moving to CO’Met in Orléans!
Tours Volley-Ball has officially announced that its highly anticipated clash against Alterna Stade Poitevin will be played at a different venue. Originally scheduled to take place in Tours, this major Alterna Volstar fixture will now be held on Wednesday, December 30, 2026, at CO’Met in Orléans.
The strategic move will allow the regional derby to be staged in a major arena with a capacity of nearly 10,000 spectators, giving the event a bigger stage and promising a spectacular volleyball occasion during the end-of-year festivities.

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