News

Volleyball 25/09/2020

Unpredictable season ahead after stellar shuffles in Russian Superliga

Moscow, Russia, September 25, 2020 – A week after the women’s Superliga of Russia started, the men are ready to follow suit. Two games on Friday and five on Saturday are on the programme for the first leg.

Volleyball 23/09/2020

Dominicans resume training ahead of next year’s Olympics

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, September 23, 2020 – The Dominican Republic women’s team, one of the 12 squads qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, have resumed training at the Volleyball Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Park following a strict protocol to protect the health of the athletes and coaches.

Volleyball 20/09/2020

38 points from Parubets not enough to prevent major upset in Russia

Ekaterinburg, Russia, September 20, 2020 – The first leg of the women’s 2020-2021 Superliga in Russia would have gone by without any surprises, if it weren’t for the sensational upset newly-promoted Lipetsk delivered at Uralochka-NTMK Ekaterinburg despite a smashing 38 points by Kseniia Parubets.

Volleyball 18/09/2020

Star-studded women’s Superliga set to begin in Russia

Moscow, Russia, September 18, 2020 – With the first two matches scheduled on Friday, the new season in the women’s Superliga of Russia is set to get underway. A number of Russian and foreign stars are ready to shine in the battles for the national crown.

Volleyball 14/09/2020

Player of the Week: Malwina Smarzek

Lausanne, Switzerland, September 14, 2020 - Although she made her debut with Poland's national team in 2014, at the tender age of 18, Malwina Smarzek's first big bang was surely at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and the 2019 edition that followed, when she took the world by storm with her incredible high-scoring performances.

Volleyball 08/09/2020

Brazil coaches look ahead to 2021 VNL

Lausanne, Switzerland, September 8, 2020 – The recent announcement of the schedule for the 2021 edition of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League provided a sense of clarity for Brazil national team head coaches Renan Dal Zotto and Jose Roberto Guimaraes.

Volleyball 31/08/2020

2021 schedule builds anticipation for VNL return

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 31, 2020 - From Canada's Calgary in the north and west to Japan's Kyoto in the east and Argentina's San Juan in the south, cities across the globe are getting ready to host the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League as the competition returns to inspire volleyball fans the world over.

Volleyball 31/08/2020

Player of the Week: Paola Egonu

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 31, 2020 - She's one of the youngest volleyball superstars in the world, but at 21 Paola Egonu already has a cabinet overflowing with medals and trophies and is the most formidable player on the Italian national team and for her club, as of last year, of Imoco Volley Conegliano.

Volleyball 26/08/2020

Russian national team to take on Superliga medallists at Kaliningrad invitational

Kaliningrad, Russia, August 26, 2020 – The women’s national team of Russia is about to appear in action for the first time in 2020, as they take on Superliga medallists Dinamo-Ak Bars Kazan, Lokomotiv Kaliningrad and Uralochka-NTMK Ekaterinburg at a much anticipated invitational tournament from Thursday through Saturday.

Volleyball 26/08/2020

Martinez sisters together at Praia Clube

Uberlandia, Brazil, August 26, 2020 – Cornerstones of the Dominican Republic’s national team, the Martinez sisters Brayelin and Jineiry will extend their partnership to the club level during the 2020-2021 season by playing for Brazil’s Dentil Praia Clube.

Volleyball 21/08/2020

Jaqueline stays with Osasco for another season

Osasco, Brazil, August 21, 2020 – Osasco Volei will count on the experience and the talent of veteran Jaqueline Carvalho for at least another year as the 36-year-old outside hitter has signed a new contract with the club and will be part of its roster during the 2020-2021 Brazilian club season.

Volleyball 19/08/2020

Mazzanti set to hit the road

Rome, Italy, August 19, 2020 – Italy women’s coach Davide Mazzanti will be on the road in September as he travels around the country to meet Italy’s volleyball community.

Volleyball 19/08/2020

Brazil coach Ze Roberto provides insights on key players for Tokyo Olympics

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 19, 2020 – Brazil’s head coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes still has ten months to decide which 12 players will represent the country at next year’s Tokyo Olympics, but it seems he has already identified some of the athletes who will make the trip to the Japanese capital in 2021.

Volleyball 17/08/2020

Player of the Week: Kim Yeon Koung

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 17, 2020 - Kim Yeon Koung has been an integral part of the Korean national team for a good decade and a half, helping keep the side present in all major international competitions and even bringing back to her home country the coveted trophy of MVP from the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Volleyball 14/08/2020

Anastasi backing Iran to challenge at Tokyo 2020

Rome, Italy, August 14, 2020 – Andrea Anastasi expects Iran to be among the leading sides when the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games take place in 2021.

Volleyball 06/08/2020

Irina Koroleva both focused and emotional

Kazan, Russia, August 6, 2020 – One of the most popular members of the Russian women’s volleyball national team, Irina Koroleva, was the third guest of the fun series of online video interviews, called #Sborniki (#Сборники in Russian, which translates to #NationalTeamers), run on the @RUSVolleyTeam social media channels dedicated to the Russian national teams. She was obviously in a great mood and offered a lot of laughs to the viewers.

Volleyball 05/08/2020

Giannelli sets sights on ultimate prize

Rome, Italy, August 5, 2020 – Simone Giannelli has endured a frustrating few months without volleyball, but the Italian remains resolute in the ambitions for the season ahead.

Volleyball 05/08/2020

Russian 2010 world champs on the move

Krasnodar, Russia, August 5, 2020 – Three names from Russia’s gold medal winning 2010 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship squad highlight recent news from the transfer market in the women’s Superliga.

Volleyball 04/08/2020

Dominican star Castillo back with SESI Bauru

Bauru, Brazil, August 4, 2020 – SESI Volei Bauru will have a familiar face leading their backcourt efforts in 2020-2021 as the Brazilian club have signed Dominican Republic star libero Brenda Castillo back to their roster.

Volleyball 03/08/2020

Player of the Week: Nataliya Goncharova

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 3, 2020 – Nataliya Goncharova is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable faces in Russian volleyball. Well known for her scoring prowess, leadership skills and charismatic vision, the 31-year-old Russian national team and Dinamo Moscow opposite is Volleyball World's Player of the Week.

Volleyball 01/08/2020

Aliasghar Mojarad promoting education

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 1, 2020 – Iran’s Aliasghar Mojarad showed promise in 2019. He now aims to make a big impact with the Iranian team, but also for youth in his country as he continues to establish his role promoting education.

Volleyball 30/07/2020

Eli Vasileva happy with chance to play again

Plovdiv, Bulgaria, July 30, 2020 – Some four weeks after joining the training camp of the Bulgarian national team in Plovdiv, Elitsa Vasileva told fivb.com how happy she was with the chance to play volleyball again, after the long pandemic related lockdown.

Volleyball 29/07/2020

Britt Herbots: "Super-good to be back in Italy"

Lausanne, July 29, 2020 - Belgium's rising star Britt Herbots opened her heart to all her fans last week, when she featured in a live Facebook session, part of the FIVB Player of the Week series, as she returned to Italy in preparation for the new season.

Volleyball 21/07/2020

Birarelli latest Italian star to bid arrivederci

Rome, Italy, July 21, 2020 – Emanuele Birarelli has announced that he is retiring from volleyball after a career that featured two Olympic medals and three Olympic Games.

Volleyball 20/07/2020

Player of the Week: Britt Herbots

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 20, 2020 - Despite her young age, Belgium's Britt Herbots has been in the spotlight for a number of years now at home and in Europe - but she's now destined and ready for grander things in the seasons to come.

Volleyball 09/07/2020

Tandara returns home for fourth stint with Osasco

Osasco, Brazil, July 9, 2020 – Tandara Caixeta has played in 11 different clubs during her career, but there’s just one place she learned to call home during that time. And the 31-year-old opposite will be back with the club during the 2020-2021 season after returning to Osasco for a fourth stint with the team.

Volleyball 09/07/2020

Setter Niverka Marte believes in communication

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 9, 2020 – Good communication is one of the most indispensable tools for a setter to be successful in the game of volleyball, and Dominican Republic star Niverka Marte has taken that fact very seriously ... literally.

Volleyball 09/07/2020

Lang Ping hoping to say golden farewell at Tokyo Games

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 9, 2020 – China coach Lang Ping has confirmed that she will be stepping down from her role once China’s attempt to win back-to-back Olympic titles at Tokyo 2020 concludes.

Volleyball 07/07/2020

Gaila Gonzalez working on her potential

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 7, 2020 – Step by step Gaila Gonzalez is making her way into the starting lineup of the Dominican Republic women’s national team now and has become an important piece of the squad.

Volleyball 06/07/2020

Player of the Week: Ding Xia

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 6, 2020 - Ding Xia has been setting up China for triumphs for over half a decade, helping her team's top scorers bring the points and keeping opponents guessing where the next attack is coming from.

Volleyball 30/06/2020

Zenit Saint Petersburg confirm Egor Kliuka for next season

Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 30, 2020 – Next season’s squad of Zenit Saint Petersburg keeps getting stronger and stronger. After securing the services of top-level international players, such as Russian opposite Victor Poletaev and French setter Antoine Brizard, the fifth-placed team of the 2019-2020 Superliga season officially confirmed their contract with one more key member of the Russian national team, Egor Kliuka.

Volleyball 26/06/2020

Kseniia Parubets: We just need a little more patience

Ekaterinburg, Russia, June 26, 2020 – Volleyball international Kseniia Parubets, outside hitter of the Russian national team and of Uralochka-NTMK Ekaterinburg, was the first guest in a series of fun online video interviews called #Sborniki.

Volleyball 22/06/2020

Player of the Week: Louisa Lippmann

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 22, 2020 - Louisa Lippmann, Germany's reigning Player of the Year, is the country's biggest asset and regular 'scoring machine' as she continues to make defenders and blockers of her opponents struggle to keep her in check during a thrilling international career.

Volleyball 18/06/2020

Bulgarian Lionesses start preparations for summer 2021

Plovdiv, Bulgaria, June 18, 2020 – Twenty-one of the 24 players on this summer’s Bulgarian women's national team roster are already in training for next year’s competitions.

Volleyball 15/06/2020

Player of the Week: Sarina Koga

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 15, 2020 - In a country famous for exceptional and often spectacular defending, Sarina Koga stands out as one of the leading attackers of Japan's national team and of her club of NEC Red Rockets. Wherever she plays, she creates havoc in opponents' defences and just keeps on bringing in the points.

Volleyball 13/06/2020

Thailand’s Fab Five: Spotlight on Nootsara Tomkom

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 13, 2020 – The Fab Five have inspired a lasting revolution in Thailand bringing volleyball culture to the forefront of their country’s consciousness and raising their profile further on the world stage with their distinctive style and game.

Volleyball 11/06/2020

‘I’m back’: Kim confirms return to Korean League

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 11, 2020 – “I’m back,” Korean volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-Koung announced at a press conference on Wednesday to confirm she will rejoin her former club Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders in the Korean League as she continues to pursue her ultimate dream of winning an Olympic medal.

Volleyball 11/06/2020

Antonov signs on with Piacenza

Rome, Italy, June 12, 2020 – Oleg Antonov will return to Italy’s SuperLega in time for the start of the 2020-21 season after signing with Gas Sales Piacenza.

Volleyball 09/06/2020

Canadian rising star Van Ryk eager for improvement

Ottawa, Canada, June 9, 2020 – New experiences are an important element in the development process of any professional athlete and Canadian opposite Kiera Van Ryk is trying to make the most of the opportunities she has had and will continue to have in the early years of her young career.

Volleyball 05/06/2020

World champs Serbia stoked to be in training again

Belgrade, Serbia, June 5, 2020 – After a long break imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the reigning world and European champions are back in training. The national federation of Serbia has called up 40 players to give them a chance to get together, work on fitness and prepare for the next club season.

Volleyball 01/06/2020

Player of the week: Eda Erdem

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 1, 2020 - Turkey's formidable middle blocker Eda Erdem has been leading her country's national team and her club of Fenerbahce Istanbul for a decade now, playing a critical role in both teams' international and domestic successes.

Volleyball 30/05/2020

Thailand’s Fab Five: Spotlight on Malika Kanthong

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 30, 2020 – The Fab Five have inspired a lasting revolution in Thailand bringing the volleyball culture to the forefront of their country’s consciousness and raising their profile further on the world stage with their distinctive style and game.

Volleyball 29/05/2020

The Iron Hammer - A documentary on Lang Ping’s success story

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 29, 2020 – Look out for The Iron Hammer, a documentary about Lang Ping’s amazing success story in volleyball.

Volleyball 27/05/2020

Live with Lauren Carlini: Watch all five sessions

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 27, 2020 – United States setter Lauren Carlini gave us the lowdown on different aspects of volleyball and answered questions from fans in five Facebook Live sessions in April and May.

Volleyball 21/05/2020

Kim's personal take on Haikyu!!

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 21, 2020 - Korea superstar Kim Yeon Koung has taken to YouTube again to present her own personal take on an animated clip of the highly popular Haikyu!!, as she explores the actions featured and explains how things would work in real-life volleyball.

Volleyball 21/05/2020

Egonu extends deal at Imoco Volley Conegliano

Conegliano, Italy, May 21, 2020 – Imoco Volley Conegliano fans were given a boost with the news that Paola Egonu has signed a contract extension with the club that guarantees she will wear yellow and blue for the 2020-21 season.

Volleyball 20/05/2020

Season's best announced in Russia

Moscow, Russia, May 20, 2020 – The national federation of Russia announced the winners of the fan vote for the best players and coaches of this season's women’s and men’s Superliga.

Volleyball 18/05/2020

Player of the Week: Onuma Sittirak

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 18, 2020 - Onuma Sittirak has been leading Thailand's national team for a full decade now, establishing herself as a necessary member of the squad and thrilling fans whenever she takes to the courts.

Volleyball 16/05/2020

Former national team stars change clubs in Russia

Moscow, Russia, May 16, 2020 – 2012 Olympic gold medallist Dmitry Ilinykh is one of several former members of the men’s national team of Russia who are changing clubs between seasons as confirmed in recent transfer news from the Russian market.

Volleyball 16/05/2020

Sloetjes takes break, aims to come back stronger than ever

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 16, 2020 – Two-time club world champion Lonneke Sloetjes has decided to take a break from playing volleyball. The Dutch opposite made the announcement on her Instagram account.

Volleyball 15/05/2020

Live with Lauren - Professional volleyball

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 15, 2020 – United States setter Lauren Carlini joined us on Facebook Live to discuss professional volleyball and answer your questions. Watch the video and don't miss a surprise visit by Michelle Bartsch-Hackley.

Volleyball 13/05/2020

FIVB announces updates to 2020-2021 volleyball calendar following cancellation of VNL 2020

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 13, 2020 – Today, the FIVB Board of Administration approved updates to the 2020-2021 volleyball calendar after the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the cancellation of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2020. These updates had been recommended by the FIVB Executive Committee earlier this week.

Volleyball 12/05/2020

Gabi: "My big dream is an Olympic medal"

Lausanne, May 12, 2020 - "My big dream is an Olympic medal and every day when I practice I think about this," said Brazil international Gabi Guimaraes in a Facebook Live session on Monday. Last week she had been named 'Player of the Week' and featured across the FIVB's website and social media channels.

Volleyball 11/05/2020

Dani Lins targets Brazil national team return

Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 11, 2020 – Dani Lins wasn’t a part of Brazil’s national team roster during the 2019 international season, but the setter is working her way back into it. A London 2012 Olympic champion, the 35-year-old veteran feels ready to help the team again after a year away.

Volleyball 09/05/2020

Sylla aiming to maximise break for Tokyo benefit

Rome, Italy, May 9, 2020 – Myriam Sylla may be missing competing and training with her teammates in the Italian national team, and her club Imoco Conegliano, but she is staying resolutely upbeat in the circumstances.

Volleyball 08/05/2020

FIVB announces cancellation of VNL 2020

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 8, 2020 – The FIVB today announced the cancellation of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2020 due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic and its impact on host cities being able to deliver safe, accessible and high-quality competitions.

Volleyball 24/04/2020

Bisonte firm up squad for next season

Florence, Italy, April 24, 2020 – Sara Alberti has been named the new captain of Bisonte Firenze and the Florence-based team have acted quickly to sign up their leading players since the end of the Italian Serie A1 season was confirmed earlier in April.

Volleyball 08/04/2020

Blengini hopes young guns can take their chance

Rome, Italy, April 8, 2020 – Italy men’s coach Gianlorenzo Blengini has called on Italy’s young players to take advantage of the extra year that they will have to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Volleyball 03/04/2020

Zhu Ting’s story set to inspire future superstars

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 3, 2020 – China’s Zhu Ting is one of eight international sporting stars to feature in a book aimed at inspiring young children to follow their sporting dream.

Volleyball 02/04/2020

Hill aiming for glorious end to international career

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 2, 2020 – USA outside hitter Kimberly Hill is having to extend her international career by a year to make the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games her national team farewell.

Beach volleyball 26/03/2020

Nwakalor sisters sharing an ambition

Rome, Italy, March 26, 2020 – Linda and Sylvia Nwakalor are two sisters with the same dream, that of competing together for Italy at the very highest level.

Volleyball 18/03/2020

Lindsey Berg putting her heart into spreading volleyball’s popularity

Lausanne, Switzerland, March 18, 2020 – Former USA captain Lindsey Berg has launched a new initiative to ensure that her country’s run of success will continue long after they have competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the FIVB Volleyball Nations League this summer.

Volleyball 03/03/2020

Egonu sounds warning to rivals

Rome, Italy, March 3, 2020 – Italian superstar Paola Egonu has sent an ominous warning to her rivals for the year ahead by claiming that a visit to Nigeria over the New Year has left her refreshed and ready to challenge for honours over the coming months.

Volleyball 25/02/2020

Araki to lead Japan 2020 women’s national team roster

Tokyo, Japan, February 25, 2020 - Celebrating 150 days to go in the countdown to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, we examine the players who have been called up to feature in hosts Japan's women's volleyball team this year.

Volleyball 25/02/2020

Yanagida captains Japanese men’s national team in Olympic year

Tokyo, Japan, February 25, 2020 - With just 150 days to go until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 we look at hosts Japan's men's volleyball team for the year ahead.