VolleyBar130# : Friday November 13, 2026

On this day…
amarcord and lot of volleyball birthdays, a new player for Verona, Thailand and a fun fact from France.

Welcome to the 130th Episode of VolleyBar, the last one before a well-deserved weekend break!

On this day in 1995, the Women’s World Cup in Japan featured six matches on November 13, played in Nagoya and Okazaki. The results included two especially dominant performances by Brazil and China, as well as a five-set battle between the United States and Canada. 
In Nagoya:
• Brazil–Egypt 3–0 (15:3, 15:2, 15:1)
• Cuba–Netherlands 3–0 (15:7, 15:7, 15:9)
• South Korea–Japan 3–0 (15:2, 15:8, 15:6)
South Korea’s win over Japan was particularly emphatic: the hosts managed just 16 points across the three sets.
Meanwhile, in Okazaki:
• USA–Canada 3–2 (5:15, 15:4, 13:15, 15:7, 15:8)
• China–Kenya 3–0 (15:2, 15:0, 15:3)
• Croatia–Peru 3–0 (15:3, 15:4, 15:1)
The USA–Canada match stands out for its unusual progression: Canada took the first set 15–5 and then won the third 15–13, but the Americans rallied to take the fourth and fifth. China’s 15–0 set against Kenya is another archival curiosity from the side-out scoring era.

The 2023 Sitting Volleyball World Cup in Cairo also had a November 13 matchday, including:
• Iran–Japan 3–0 (25:13, 25:14, 25:21)
• Brazil–China 1–3 (25:18, 17:25, 10:25, 14:25)
• Great Britain–France 1–3 (25:22, 17:25, 17:25, 14:25)
• Germany–Ukraine 3–0 (25:13, 25:13, 25:22)

Barbara Hermel-Niemczyk turns 83 (or 84) today.
A former Polish national-team player and Olympic bronze medallist at the 1968 Mexico City Games, sources disagree on her birth year, listing either 1942 or 1943, so her exact age should be treated with caution!

Silvano Prandi was born on this day in 1947 and turns 79 today.
Known as “Il Professore,” he is one of the most influential coaches in Italian volleyball history. He led Italy to the bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and built a remarkable career across national teams and elite clubs, including a successful decade with French powerhouse Chaumont.

Diego José Lapera Sotolongo was born on November 13, 1950 and turns 76 today. Also known as “Cheo,” he was a three-time Olympian. He won bronze with Cuba at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and was part of Cuban teams that claimed Pan American Games gold in 1971, 1975 and 1979. He also competed at Munich 1972 and Moscow 1980.

A Mexican volleyball player who represented his country at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Jorge Quiñones was born on November 13, 1981 and turns 45 today.

One of the most important names on the date, Sean Rooney was born on November 13, 1982 and turns 44 today.
He was a member of the United States team that won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008. He also earned World League gold medals in 2008 and 2014, and silver in 2012. A 206 cm outside hitter, he played at Pepperdine University and had a professional career that included clubs in Italy, Russia and South Korea.

Ibán Pérez turns 43 today. Born in Barcelona on November 13, 1983, the Spanish opposite went on to build a long professional career and subsequently moved into coaching. His playing profile and coaching qualifications make him another name worth including in the international volleyball birthday archive. He is currently in Chaumont.

Simo-Pekka Olli turns 41 today. Born in Varkaus in 1985, the Finnish setter played professionally in Finland, Greece and Italy. His Italian experience included Sempre Volley Padova, where he spent two spells, and Olimpia Bergamo. He also represented Finland internationally before continuing his career with several Finnish clubs.

And happy birthday to Alexandre Ferreira too, who turns 35 today. The Portuguese outside hitter, born in 1991, has built a substantial international career across Portugal, Italy, Türkiye, Poland and Asia. He won the Portuguese championship with SC Espinho in 2012 and the Italian Super Cup with Trentino in 2013. With Portugal, he won the 2010 European League and was named Best Server and Best Spiker at the 2018 FIVB Challenger Cup.

One of the standout players in American collegiate volleyball, Logan Eggleston led the University of Texas to the 2022 NCAA championship and was born on November 13, 2000. She was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and AVCA National Player of the Year.

Finnish opposite hitter Veikka Lindqvist turns 23 today.
Born on 13 November 2003, standing at 203 cm, he began his senior club career with Savo Volley, where his performances earned him recognition as the Breakthrough Player of the Year in Finland’s Mestaruusliiga in 2023. He subsequently moved abroad, gaining experience in three different European leagues: with Greenyard Maaseik in Belgium in 2023–24, Montpellier in France in 2024–25 and Allianz Milano in Italy in 2025–26.
At club level, 2026 brought another significant milestone: Lindqvist celebrated the CEV Challenge Cup title with Allianz Milano, as the Italian side defeated Belgium’s Lindemans Aalst in both legs of the final, winning 3–0 each time. He is currently playing for French powerhouse Chaumont.

Back to the present, Rana Verona have officially welcomed this morning Denys Veletskyi to their roster for the 2026/27 season, adding a Ukrainian international middle blocker whose career has taken him from his hometown of Kharkiv through several clubs in Ukraine and a first international experience in Hungary.

In Thailand, the 2027 Est Cola Volleyball Thailand League has officially kicked off, and the defending champions are picking up exactly where they left off! Nakhon Ratchasima 3M Films VC started their title defense with a convincing straight-sets victory over PSNKK Club: 25:21, 25:17, 25:18.
Nakhon Ratchasima maintained firm control of the tempo across all three frames. The offense was anchored by Thanat Bamrungphakdi, who set the tone for the new season by hammering down a match-high 16 points to guarantee maximum points on opening day.

And to close last episode of the week…a fun fact from France.
Did you know that Toulouse haven’t managed to win in Chaumont for…10 years?
Yesterday’s match marked Chaumont’s 13th consecutive home victory!
Toulouse’s last victory in Chaumont dates back to December 19, 2015, in a Round 11 regular-season match, which ended 1–3 (19:25, 25:20, 26:24, 16:25).

We wish you all a faboulous weekend of volleyball and much more!
Two of our contributors will be on site at the Italian Super Cup in Parma, bringing you photo galleries and exclusive content.
VolleyBar will be back, as always, on Monday at 20:00!

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