On this day…
Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, Vietnam, Samsung BlueFangs, #NoClubsNoVolley, Paola Egonu, Grebennikov and “shorter players!
Welcome to the 121st Episode of VolleyBar, the first one after our well-deserved weekend break despite a special pubblication for Halloween!
The 1991/92 women’s CEV Champions Cup began on November 2, 1991. The tournament archive includes an early match in which Antonius Herentals defeated Mizuno Britannia London 3–0, with set scores of 15:8, 15:7, 15:2.
On November 2, 1997, the legendary Brazilian beach-volleyball duo Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar won the Salvador Open on home sand. It was the fourth of their 31 FIVB World Tour titles together. The pair would become one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the international circuit!
On November 2, 2005, in the women’s European Champions Cup, Pallavolo Sirio Perugia defeated VakıfBank Güneş Istanbul 3–0 at the Pala Barton in Perugia.
On November 2, 2013, one of the most memorable PlusLiga matches on this date saw Jastrzębski Węgiel defeat ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle 3–2, after taking the first two sets and then seeing the hosts fight back to level the match, 2–3
Set scores: 18:25, 18:25, 25:17, 25:20, 9:15, with Michał Masny who earned MVP honors. Jastrzębski Węgiel’s strong start, with Alen Pajenk’s serving putting pressure on ZAKSA’s reception, proved decisive in the tie-break. 
On November 2, 2019, Sir Safety Conad Perugia claimed the 2019 Italian Supercoppa, defeating Leo Shoes Modena 3–2 (27:25, 23:25, 25:23, 18:25, 15:12) in Civitanova Marche.
MVP Wilfredo León led the winners with 21 points including six aces and MVP awards, while Ivan Zaytsev recorded 30 points.
The match lasted 142 minutes. Perugia repeatedly moved ahead, while Modena responded through Zaytsev’s exceptional scoring performance, before the Umbrian side closed out the tie-break.

Perugia also lifted the Italian Supercoppa on this day in 2022, defeating Cucine Lube Civitanova in a five-set final in Cagliari. The score was 3–2 (20:25, 25:22, 23:25, 25:22, 15:8). Oleh Plotnytskyi was named MVP of the event. 
More recently the fourth round of the 2025/26 Italian regular season featured five matches on Sunday, November 2. Among them, Allianz Milano defeated Vero Volley Monza 3–1 (22:25, 25:19, 25:21, 28:26). The standout individual performance also came in the Lombardy derby: Ferre Reggers scored 35 points for Allianz Milano. Verona’s victory over Trentino also helped the team move to the top of the standings, while Perugia defeated Modena away. 
Rita Crockett was born on November 2, 1957.
One of the most accomplished American volleyball players of her generation, Rita Louise Crockett, nicknamed “The Rocket,” she won Olympic silver with the United States at Los Angeles 1984 and bronze at the 1982 World Championship. She also won the 1989 Beach Volleyball World Championship alongside Jackie Silva, becoming the first African-American woman to win the title, and she was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Japanese volleyball figure Yuichi Nakagaichi was born on November 2, 1967.
He played for Japan at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and later coached the men’s national team from 2017 to 2021, including its appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He also won gold at the 1994 Asian Games as a player.
The French outside hitter Kévin Tillie was born on November 2, 1990.
A member of the French national team, he won Olympic gold at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, making him part of the historic French team that successfully defended its Olympic title. He is the son of former French national-team coach Laurent Tillie and the brother of basketball player Kim Tillie. 
Back to the present, reigning champions Biên Phòng MB solidified their first-place standing in the 2026 Vietnam National Volleyball Championship – Ca Mau Fertilizer Cup by overcoming Công An TP.HCM in a five-set comeback victory: 22:25, 26:24, 22:25, 25:17, 17:15.
With both teams having already qualified for the semi-finals, the fixture served as a high-stakes preview of the knockout stages. After trailing 2-1, Biên Phòng MB forced a deciding frame and executed in the clutch to secure a narrow 17-15 fifth-set win, cementing their position at the top of the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, Thể Công Tân Cảng is officially heading to the semi-finals. They survived an absolute rollercoaster, outlasting Ho Chi Minh City in a five-set marathon to advance to the next round: 25:19, 26:28, 25:16, 20:25, 15:9.
In Korea, the Samsung BlueFangs kicked off their 2026-2027 V-League campaign in winning fashion, defeating the KB Stars in an intense four-set battle: 26:24, 25:23, 36:38, 25:19.
The match featured an absolute marathon in the third set, with the KB Stars surviving 38-36 to stay alive. However, Samsung quickly regrouped to comfortably take the fourth frame and seal the victory.
The BlueFangs’ offense was powered by their lethal international wing duo. Chinese national team ace Wang Bin dropped a massive 35 points on a highly efficient 63.46% attack rate, while Brazilian star Felipe Roque contributed 22 points to secure the opening day win.
In Japan, Osaka Bluteon celebrated an impressive four-set victory over Wolfdogs Nagoya: 20:25, 25:20, 25:13, 25:16. Masato Kai led the charge with 19 points, including four blocks and an ace, while Yuji Nishida added 18 points with three blocks and two aces to help secure the win.
Both teams now hold identical 3-1 records in the standings.
Meanwhile, Toray Arrows Shizuoka prevailed in a hard-fought five-set battle against Shinsu Matsumoto Tridents to secure their second victory of the season: 25:20, 17:25, 25:21, 21:25, 15:10. Canadian Skyler Varga led all scorers with a match-high 22 points for Toray, while U.S. Zachary Rama contributed 17 points for the Tridents.
Both teams now hold identical 2-2 records in the standings.
JTEKT Stings, on the other hand, continued their impressive start, securing back-to-back victories over Voreas Hokkaido in four sets: 20:25, 29:27, 25:20, 25:21. French opposite Stephen Boyer led all scorers with 24 points to power the Stings to victory.
JTEKT Stings remain on top of the standings with a perfect 4-0 record!
Also Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers are making a strong statement early in the SV.League season, completing a back-to-back victory over last season’s finalists, the Suntory Sunbirds, claiming a four-set win to improve to a 3-1 record: 25:19, 25:17, 19:25, 25:23.
Tommaso Rinaldi led Sakai with 20 points, followed closely by Chizoba Neves with 19 points. Meanwhile, Daniel Chițigoi paced Suntory with a match-high 22 points, while Wassim Ben Tara added 18.
With the defeat, the Sunbirds fall to a surprising 1-3 start to their campaign.
The movement against the FIVB calendar reform is gaining momentum in Italy.
Launched by Perugia president Gino Sirci, the hashtag #NoClubsNoVolley is spreading around the world. After Modena, Piacenza and Milano adopted Perugia’s slogan, Verona joined the movement on Sunday evening.
Gino Sirci: “It is an important signal that prestigious clubs such as Modena, Piacenza and Milano have taken a stand, because they have understood that, when faced with an issue that disadvantages us, jeopardises players’ health and also harms fans and sponsors, we need to stand united. However, I expect the opposition to the FIVB reform to grow even stronger. We must stand together for the benefit of everyone.”
However, Polish Volleyball Federation president Sebastian Swiderski has another opinion….
In women’s volleyball, Paola Egonu surpassed the 6,000-point mark in the history of Lega Volley Femminile on Sunday, during Vero Volley’s sixth victory in six matches, a 3-0 win over Consolini.
Either way, too many talented players are unfairly denied access to the highest level simply because of their height. French volleyball legend Jenia Grebennikov, now playing for the Wolfdogs Nagoya in Japan, is shattering this stereotype through his experience in Asian volleyball.
“Regardless of their height, regardless of how difficult it is, they are there. In my team, the Wolfdogs Nagoya, players shorter than me are not liberos. In France, I was always told I was too short to attack. Here, an outside hitter who is 1.80 metres tall is one of the best players in the league. If you know how to play, you can play.
Originally, I wanted to be an attacker, to be in the spotlight, to score points and put on a show. It was difficult to come to terms with, but my father and I eventually accepted it. It was probably my only chance to play for the French national team, win titles and become the best, which was what I constantly wanted.”
Since we didn’t publish VolleyBar yesterday due to our usual Sunday break, our Italian friends didn’t publish “Mondo Volley” either. Coincidence, or did they have no news to share without their official source?
With this existential question in mind, we wish all our readers a fabulous evening!
See you tomorrow! 😜
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