Alan Nine
CEV Cup
Valsa Group Modena made a commanding start to their CEV Cup campaign with a 3-0 away win over OK Napredak Odžak. Lorenzo Tubertini's side completed the first leg of their round-of-64 tie in exactly an hour, winning 25-19, 25-17, 25-12 in front of 900 spectators.
Meijs, deployed at opposite, led the scoring with 15 points. Mujanović added 10 from the outside and Arthur Bento finished with nine. Modena hit at 70 per cent, produced eight aces and four blocks, and recorded 80 per cent positive reception. Meijs and Mujanović served four aces apiece.
Under the revised rules for European knockout ties, Modena must win the second match to advance without a decider. One victory for each team now triggers a 15-point Golden Set, regardless of the scorelines in the two matches; even a 3-0 win followed by a five-set defeat would require the extra set.
International Calendar
The Brazilian Volleyball Confederation has joined the opposition to the proposal for national-team matches between December and February from 2029. The CBV said it had rejected the option during consultations with the FIVB, arguing that the current model should be improved without interrupting either club competitions or the international season.
Nikola Grbić, Poland's head coach and a member of the FIVB coaches' commission, has also called for a more balanced calendar centred on player welfare. Grbić said leading players are spending too much time sidelined because of excessive workloads. He gave Wilfredo Leon 40 days off and other Poland players two or three weeks, while acknowledging that many national teams do not have enough depth to rest their stars for comparable periods.
The FIVB is preparing a second version of its 2029-32 calendar after receiving feedback from across the sport. No calendar proposal will be put to a vote at the World Congress in Punta Cana from 20 to 22 November. The federation hopes to complete the new plan by the end of the year, but says it will consult the relevant parties again before seeking final approval from its Board of Administration.
EuroVolley 2026
The Italian leg of the 2026 Men's European Championship drew 78,617 spectators across Naples, Modena, Turin and Milan, comfortably surpassing the figure of almost 60,000 recorded in 2023. The tournament began in an outdoor arena in Piazza del Plebiscito, where 5,847 paying spectators watched Italy beat Sweden 3-0, and ended at the Mediolanum Forum, where more than 11,000 saw Poland defeat France 3-1 in the final. Italy finished fifth.
Rai and Sky recorded a cumulative audience of 16,627,977. The Italian federation's digital channels generated 135,398,688 views between 8 and 27 September, led by more than 120.5 million on Instagram. The campaign also produced over six million interactions and more than 36,000 new followers across eight federation accounts.
Abroad
Camilla Mingardi leads the scoring chart in Japan's women's SV.League with 198 points for Victorina Himeji, an average of 6.39 per set. In Poland, Yuri Romanò is third in the men's standings with 95 points and 4.13 per set, behind Bartosz Filipiak and Dawid Dulski. Stephen Boyer tops the men's list in Japan, while Jesús Herrera leads Turkey's Efeler Ligi on total points.
Sada Cruzeiro extended their perfect start in Brazil to four wins and moved to 11 points with a 3-0 victory over Norde. Oppenkoski scored 16 points and received the VivaVôlei award as Cruzeiro won 25-19, 25-23, 25-20. Vôlei Renata and Itambé Minas remain unbeaten on eight points, each with a match in hand.
Viapol São José claimed their first win of the season by recovering from a one-sided opening set to beat Montes Claros 14-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-17. Gabriel Pessoa led all scorers with 22 points, while setter Gustavo Orlando was named MVP. São José's 16-9 advantage in blocks proved decisive, with Johan contributing seven.
