History of Volleyball 1999-2002
History of volleyball with an Australian focus.
There does not seem to be any documents with a complete history of Australian volleyball, so if you are able to add or correct any of this information we would like to hear from you. volleyball@musa.net.au
1999
Australian men��?s indoor team were runners-up at the 10th Asian Championships in Iran. During the tournament, they defeated traditional Asian powerhouses Japan and Korea. A significant rise from their 10th ranking in the Asian zone at the start of the 1990s when the fulltime AIS programme began.
The Australian men finish fourth in the Sydney International Volleyball Challenge, which acted as an Olympic Test Event.
The Volleyball Team Australia Men compete in the World League for the first time, winning sets off Russia and Poland.
The VTA Women travelled to Germany for the Bremen Cup, where they finished fifth.
At the 10th Asian Championships in Hong Kong, the Australian women achieved one of their best competition results of sixth place, defeating Uzbekistan for the first time.
The Team Australia women won the 3rd Tasman Cup against New Zealand in a clean sweep.
The VTA Women played against the touring USA women��?s team. The Australian team was well and truly outclassed in the five match series, not winning a set.
Australian Volleyball League season was again telecast by SBS Television.
The Renegades Masters men��?s team easily defeated North Sydney in the 30-35 year category grand final of the Australian Masters Volleyball Championships. Most players were from the Renegades premier men��?s teams of the late 1980s and early 90s.
2000
First time in the Olympic Games for both the Australian men��?s and women��?s indoor volleyball teams.
The men performed well, reaching the quarter finals and eventually finishing eighth. Australian middle blocker, Dan Howard, received the Best Spiker award.
The women also won a match and finished the Sydney Games in ninth place.
Kerri Pottharst and Natalie Cook became Australia��?s first Olympic Gold medallists in beach volleyball, defeating the second-seeded Brazilians Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede.
The second Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from September 16 to 26 in a specially constructed 10,000 seat venue at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. Twenty-four men��?s and women��?s teams compete for Olympic medals.
The IOC was later to reveal that volleyball was the fifth most popular sport (in terms of broadcast hours) covered by the world��?s media at the Sydney Olympic Games. Volleyball was edged out of fourth place to basketball by three hours.
The Australian Volleyball Magazine is relaunched in February after distribution of the first Australian Volleyball Magazine ceased in 1995. The new magazine is published out of Queensland.
The Volleybal Team Australia Men finished second in the Friendship Tournament in Athens, competing against Greece, Czech Republic and Portugal.
In Australia, the Australian men had a 4-2 series win against Slovakia.
The Australian women��?s team won the 4th Tasman Cup in New Zealand, again with a series whitewash, 5-0.
The Australian women were defeated in each of their three matches against the US Professional Volleyball (USPV) "Dream Team" in Chicago, IL. By the third match (having lost the first two matches in straight sets), the Australians were giving the USPV team a good fight. However, the Americans rallied in the fourth set to take it 25-23.
Australia entered teams in the Standing Volleyball competition of the Paralympics for the first time in Sydney, with the men finishing 8th. It was also the first time Australia had a team in the Sitting Volleyball and they finished 11th (the Sitting Volleyball gold medal was won by Iran for the fourth consecutive time, while Germany won the Standing Volleyball gold medal, also for the fourth straight time at Paralympic level).
The Mornington Volleyball Club revive the Victorian Open indoor tournament in October after the state goes several years without a Victorian Open.
Melbourne University Renegades Volleyball Club was formed at the end of 2000 through the amalgamation of Footscray Renegades Volleyball Club and Melbourne University Volleyball Club.
2001
The Australian men��?s indoor team finished second at the Asian Volleyball Championships, defeating UAE, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Saudi Arabia during the championships.
At the World Championships Qualification tournament, the Australian men defeated Thailand and Saudi Arabia and qualified for 2002 World Championships in Argentina.
The Australian men finish fourth at the 2001 East Asian Games after defeating Chinese Taipei, Mongolia, Macau and Kazakhstan.
The Australian women��?s team finished sixth at the Asian Volleyball Championships, defeating Vietnam and New Zealand and taking a set from Korea for the first time.
The Australian women qualified for the 2002 World Championships with a win over Kazakhstan at the World Championships Qualification tournament.
In a friendly series versus Greece, the Australian women defeat Greece 3 matches to 2 to record their first ever series win in Europe.
A fourth place finish for the Australian women at the East Asian Games included a win against Mongolia.
The 2001 Goodwill Games feature Beach Volleyball competitions from August 29 to September 4 in Brisbane, Australia with the world��?s sixteen best men��?s and women��?s teams. Australia��?s Pauline Manser and Kerri-Ann Pottharst win the bronze.
Volleyball Victoria move to hold all Victorian Volleyball League (VVL) matches at the one venue, Springers Leisure Centre, Keysborough.
2002
Both the Volleyball Team Australia men��?s and women��?s teams qualified for the World Championships.
The men��?s championships were held in Argentina (September 28 - October 13). The Australian team won sets in each of their first round matches against Argentina, Portugal and China, but didn��?t reach the second round and eventually finished 19th.
The women��?s championships were held in Germany (August 30 - September 15), with the Australian team finishing in 21st position. They had managed to win sets against Thailand and Greece but also failed to reach the second round of matches.
The Australian women had a series win versus Puerto Rico (3 matches to 2) during a July tour of the Caribbean and Mexico.
The AIS women finished fifth at the Princess Cup Club Tournament without their overseas athletes playing.
Beach Volleyball court dimensions reduced to 8m x 8m per side.
The Australian pro-beach volleyball tour secured new sponsorship for events in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales and becomes the Peters Ice Cream Beach Volleyball Tour.
Julien Prosser becomes the first Australian to play in 100 FIVB World Tour beach volleyball events.
The Victorian Country Championship Commission was formed to implement the recommendations of a review by regional administrators and take control of the Victorian Country Championship event into the future.
Melbourne University Renegades enter men��?s and women��?s teams in the Australian Volleyball League (AVL) for the first time.
For more information about the history of the Renegades Volleyball Club check the History of the Melbourne University Renegades Volleyball Club.
