VolleyBar118# : Wednesday October 28, 2026

On this day…
“Mondo Volley”, Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, Italy, Vietnam, Luvi Nugraha and pregnant volleyball players

Welcome to the 118th Episode of VolleyBar!
Every now and then, it is worth reminding people that we were the first to create a daily column bringing together the main volleyball news of the day.
The various “Mondo Volley” or similar features you see popping up elsewhere, often produced by people who have more than once published word-for-word Italian translations of our articles without crediting the original source, are nothing more than poor imitations. The news they report comes from our website or VolleyBar, including yesterday’s lesser-known story about Moschato’s comeback in Greece.

About Italy, on October 28, 1990, Italy conquer the world for the first time in what was the beginning of the Generazione di Fenomeni!
Men’s World Championship final · Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro: Italy – Cuba 3-1: 12:15, 15:11, 15:6, 16:14.
Italy won the men’s World Championship for the first time, defeating a formidable Cuban team led by the powerful Joel Despaigne. After losing the opening set, Julio Velasco’s side responded with three consecutive set victories, completing a historic turnaround in Rio de Janeiro. 
The triumph marked a turning point in Italian volleyball. The team included legends as Andrea Lucchetta, Andrea Giani, Lorenzo Bernardi, Andrea Zorzi, Luca Cantagalli, Andrea Gardini, Marco Bracci, Paolo Tofoli, Ferdinando De Giorgi, Andrea Anastasi, Roberto Masciarelli and Marco Martinelli. Velasco’s squad had already won the European Championship in 1989; the world title took Italy to an entirely new level and launched a golden era that would dominate international volleyball throughout the 1990s. 
Italy’s road to the final had included a 3–0 quarterfinal victory over Argentina and a dramatic 3–2 semifinal win against hosts Brazil. The Soviet Union defeated Brazil 3–0 in the bronze-medal match, while Bulgaria edged Argentina 3–2 for fifth place. The Netherlands beat France 3–1 to finish seventh. 

Staying in Italy, on October 28, 2023, Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano win another Italian Super Cup
following a 3-1 win over Vero Volley Milano (26:24, 21:25, 25:23, 25:20) in Livorno, extending their remarkable domestic dominance. Isabelle Haak led all scorers with 25 points, while Paola Egonu finished with 21 for Milano. Setter Joanna Wolosz was named MVP. 
The final brought together the two leading Italian teams of the previous season. Milano, strengthened by Egonu’s return to Italy, pushed the defending champions hard, taking the second set and keeping the third close. Conegliano, however, prevailed in the decisive moments and closed out the match in four sets. It was another trophy for Daniele Santarelli’s side and another reminder of the high level of the Italian women’s game.

The former Italian libero Mirko Corsano was born on October 28, 1973 and turns 53 today. He was part of the national team that won Olympic bronze at Sydney 2000 and the 1998 World Championship. He also won European Championship gold in 1999 and 2005, and silver in 2001. Renowned for his defensive reading and consistency, he became one of the defining liberos of Italy’s great generation. 

Bojana “Bo” Todorović was born on October 28, 1991. The Serbian-American outside hitter was part of UCLA’s NCAA Division I championship-winning team in 2011. She later played professionally in France, the Philippines and Puerto Rico, and finished fourth with Serbia at the 2013 FIVB Women’s U23 World Championship.

Magdalena Jurczyk was born on October 28, 1995. The Polish middle blocker turns 31 today. A member of Poland’s national team, she has featured in the Volleyball Nations League, helping Poland earn bronze medals in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Her blocking has been an important part of the team’s recent international progress. 

Now, back to the present: the match between Vero Volley Monza and Valsa Group Modena, scheduled for Sunday, November 8, will now start at 8:30 p.m. local time, rather than 8 p.m.

In Vietnam, Biên Phòng MB extends winning streak to seven with straight-sets victory over Ho Chi Minh City!
Biên Phòng MB opened Phase 2 of the 2026 Vietnamese Men’s National Volleyball Championship in dominant fashion, sweeping the rivals in straight sets: 25:13, 25:16, 25:22.
The victory extends Biên Phòng MB’s winning streak to seven consecutive matches, following an unbeaten run in the first phase, further strengthening their status as one of the leading contenders for the championship.
Meanwhile, LPBank Ninh Binh made a strong start to Phase 2 defeating Da Nang in straight sets: 25:21, 25:18, 25:22.
The highlight of the match was Boy Arabi, the 23-year-old Indonesian national team standout, who played a key role in Ninh Binh’s impressive victory.
Thể Công Tân Cảng overcame a difficult start to defeat Hanoi in four sets, also securing a winning start: 18:25, 25:18, 26:24, 25:23.

And now a lesser-known transfer curiosity (soon also featured in italian “best” webzine, stay tuned): Luvi Nugraha becomes first Indonesian player to join India’s Prime Volleyball League!
Indonesian national team outside hitter has officially signed with the Ahmedabad Defenders for the upcoming 2026/27 season of India’s Prime Volleyball League.
This milestone makes him the very first Indonesian player to join India’s Prime Volleyball League. He will compete in the league’s upcoming fifth season, which is scheduled to kick off on November 30, 2026.

Meanwhile (we are waiting this news from italian friends too), AEK Athens has taken an important step towards improving the protection of women’s volleyball players who choose to become mothers, introducing a policy designed to safeguard both their contractual status and financial security during pregnancy and maternity leave.

___________________

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

___________________