Who wore number 7 in volleyball?

Whether we’re talking about jersey numbers or using stats in sports arguments, numbers have and will always have a place in sports in a variety of different ways. Players are recognized by their numbers and they are part of a player’s legacy.

Giba

Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho, known as Giba, is a Brazilian former professional volleyball player who played as an outside hitter. For much of the 2000s, he was widely regarded as one of the best volleyball players in the world. During his professional career he played in Brazil, Italy, Russia, Argentina and briefly in the United Arab Emirates. He is mostly remembered for his successes with the national team.

With the Brazilian National Team he won a total of 8 South American Championships, 3 America’s Cups, 8 World League titles, 3 World Grand Champions Cups, three World Championships (2002, 2006, 2010), a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and two silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, where he was the team’s captain.

During summer 2014, Giba retired from professional volleyball at the age of 37.

Giba is not very tall for a volleyball player but he made up his height limitation with his unique physical skills and jumping abilities. In his playing days he was considered one of the best wing spikers in the world. Giba was not only appreciated for his spectacular play but he also had desire, appeal and drive that made him loved by volleyball fans all over the world. He was named a captain of the national team because of his leadership skills. He was recognized for his highly energetic personality which was helping to motivate the whole Brazilian team to play its best. Brazil was considered nearly unbeatable in the 2000s and Giba was a big part of its success.

Hugo Conte

Hugo Néstor Conte is a volleyball coach and retired player from Argentina, who represented his native country in three Summer Olympics. He was born at Buenos Aires. He is also known as the coach of Volley Cavriago in Italy.

After having finished in sixth place at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Conte was a member of the men’s national team that claimed the bronze medal four years later in Seoul, South Korea. Twelve years later he was on the squad ending up in fourth place at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He is considered to be one of the 8 greatest Volleyball players of all time, and the best Argentinian player, next to Waldo Kantor.

With Italian Santal Parma, he won the 1984 European Champions League.

Hugo’s son, Facundo also became an international volleyball player.

Inna Ryskal

Inna Valerievna Ryskal is a former Soviet volleyball player for the USSR. She was one of the pre-eminent players of the 1960s and the early 1970s, training at VSS Neftchi in Baku.

She was a major player to help Soviet Union women’s national volleyball team to dominate the World in late 1960s to early 1970s by winning 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, 1970 FIVB Women’s World Championship, 1972 Munich Olympic Games and 1973 FIVB Women’s World Cup in row. She achieved Olympic silver medals in 1964 and 1976. She also won European Volleyball Championship in 1963, 1967 and 1971. In 1972 she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

Flo Hyman

Flora Jean “Flo” Hyman was an American athlete who played volleyball. She was an Olympic silver medalist and played professional volleyball in Japan.

“I had to learn to be honest with myself. I had to recognize my pain threshold. When I hit the floor, I have to realize it’s not as if I broke a bone. Pushing yourself over the barrier is a habit. I know I can do it and try something else crazy. If you want to win the war, you’ve got to pay the price”.

Hyman left Houston to play for the national team, based in Colorado. When Hyman joined, the squad was sorely in need of leadership. Operating without a coach, it had a host of talented players with no one at the helm to guide them.

In 1975 the U.S. team floundered through qualifying rounds for the 1976 Olympic games and failed to make it. In 1977 the team finished fifth at the World Championships. Hyman and her teammates looked forward to qualifying for and playing in the 1980 Olympics, but their dreams were curtailed when the United States boycotted the Moscow games.

Hyman played in the 1981 World Cup and the 1982 World Championship, when the US won the bronze medal. A speciality of Hyman was the “Flying Clutchman”, a fast, hard-impacting volleyball spike that travels at 110 mph (180 km/h). It was perfected under Dr. Gideon Ariel, a former 1960 and 1964 Israeli Olympic shot putter in Coto de Caza, California. At the 1984 Olympics, Hyman, both the tallest and oldest member of the team, led the US to the silver medal, beaten by China in the final. The United States had defeated them earlier in the tournament.

Helia Souza

Hélia Rogério de Souza, nicknamed Fofão, is a retired Brazilian female volleyball player who competed for her country’s national team in five consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. She won a gold medal in 2008 and twice won a bronze medal, in 1996 and 2000. She also claimed the gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games.

She is nicknamed Fofão because of her large cheeks similar to a famous character of a 1980s children’s TV program in Brazil named “Fofão”.

She participated at the 1999 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup. She won the 2006–07 CEV Cup with the Italian club Sirio Perugia and was awarded Best Setter. The next season with Grupo 2002 Murcia she was awarded “Best Setter” at the 2007–08 CEV Indesit Champions League.

Souza retired from the Brazil national team on 7 September 2008, after helping her country beat Dominican Republic 3-0 and won the Final Four competition. From 1991, when she played her first game for Brazil, to 2008, she played 340 games for the national team.

She signed with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe Acıbadem since 4 July 2010. Hélia won the bronze medal at the 2010–11 CEV Champions League with the team.

Fofão won the silver medal at the 2013 Club World Championship playing with Unilever Vôlei.

During the 2015 FIVB Club World Championship, Sousa played with the Brazilian club Rexona Ades Rio and her team lost the bronze medal match to the Swiss Voléro Zürich. At age 45, this was Fofao last match, as she announced her retirement.

Facundo Conte

Facundo Conte is an Argentine volleyball player, known as a member of the Argentina men’s national volleyball team, bronze medalist at the Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020), gold medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games, silver medalist at the 2011 South American Championship, Polish Champion (2014), Chinese Champion (2017, 2018), Brazilian Champion (2019). At the professional club level, he’s known for playing with Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie.

Dmitry Volkov

Dmitry Aleksandrovich Volkov is a Russian volleyball player. He is known as part of the Russia men’s national volleyball team which competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics. On club level, he chose to play for Russian club Zenit Kazan.

William Arjona

William Arjona is a Brazilian volleyball player, known as a member of Brazil men’s national volleyball team and Brazilian club Sada Cruzeiro. He is a 2016 Olympic Champion. Arjona was called up for the adult national team for the first time in 2003, he played four years in Bolivar, where he conquered the national championship four times and was chosen as the best player in the country. He came back in Brazil in 2010 to play for Sada Cruzeiro, where he won the Superliga 2012 as the best setter in the competition. In 2013, he was called and took part in Brazil World League silver medal campaign and won the gold medal in the South American Championship. Arjona was named Best Setter in World Club Championship. William Arjona won the FIVB world league with Sada Cruzeiro multiple times (in 2013, 2015 and 2016).

Andrea Sartoretti

Andrea Sartoretti is an Italian former volleyball player.

Born at Perugia, Sartoretti debuted in the Italian Serie in 1991, winning the Award as best Under 23 player. A 1.94 cm athlete, he usually played opposite hitter. Sartoretti was known for his powerful serve, which gained him the nickname of Sartorace.

He won one Italian Serie A1 national title in 1997, with Pallavolo Modena. Sartoretti also won three CEV Champions Leagues and two European Supercups in his stay at Messaggero Ravenna (1991-1996).

He earned his first cap for Italy national team in 1993. He won four World Leagues (two times declared MVP), two European (2001 and 2003) and a World (1998) titles. He has won two silver medals and a bronze medal in three Olympic Games between 1996 and 2004.

Sartoretti ended his playing career in 2009. He is also known as part GM of Modena Volley.

Stéphane Antiga

Stéphane Antiga is French volleyball coach and former volleyball player, member of the France men’s national volleyball team in 1998–2010, participant at the Olympic Games (Athens 2004), seven-time French Champion, five-time Polish Champion (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014), two-time Spanish Champion. He’s also known as the head coach of the Polish team, DevelopRes Rzeszów.

In his career he has played for the teams of Paris UC (France), Paris Volley, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo, Portol Palma de Mallorca, Skra Bełchatów and Delecta Bydgoszcz. In April 2013, he signed a contract to return to PGE Skra Bełchatów. After winning gold medal of 2014 Polish Championship with club from Bełchatów he ended his career as a player.

He is a silver medalist of European Championship from Germany 2003 and Turkey 2009, bronze medalist of World Championship 2002. Antiga played 306 games with the French national team and was previously captain of the team.

Alessandro Farina

Alessandro Farina is an Italian football defender known for playing with S.S. Cavese 1919.

Alexey Kazakov

Aleksey Valerevich Kazakov is a Russian volleyball player. He was born in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Kazakov was a member of the national team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Four years earlier in Sydney he gained the silver medal. He is 2.18 metres tall, making him one of the tallest athletes in the world.