Who wore number 10 in volleyball?

The fortunate players who get to choose their own number often choose a lucky number, stick with the one they’ve always worn or wear a number in honor of a family member. Some players though, choose a number that’s cute or a deep and meaningful number.

Regla Torres

Regla Torres Herrera is a Cuban volleyball player who has won multiple Olympic gold medals with her first being at the young, for volleyball, age of 17. She has played on the international circuit since she was 14. In 2001, she was recipient of the Best Player of the 20th Century award by the FIVB and was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Kim Yeon-Koung

Kim Yeon-Koung is a South Korean professional volleyball player and a former member of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission. She is an outside hitter and the former captain of the South Korean National Team. She announced her retirement from the national team in August 2021.

Kim signed a three-year contract with Fenerbahçe in 2011 after playing for Heungkuk Life in South Korea for four seasons and JT Marvelous in Japan for two seasons. She signed another two-year extension with Fenerbahçe and extended it for another season in 2016. She spent the 2017–18 season in the Chinese Volleyball league and came back to Turkey in the following year with Eczacıbaşı VitrA.

Despite South Korea finishing in 4th place, Kim was the Most Valuable Player and Best Scorer at the 2012 London Olympics, where she set the Olympic record for most points scored (207), topping the previous record of 204 points by Yekaterina Gamova at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Kim is the first player in the history of Asian volleyball to receive an MVP award in the CEV Women’s Champions League.

Kim is the first player to have four entries in the list of those to have scored 30 points or more in a single Olympic Games match in volleyball.

Kim is considered to be the best player of Korea since playing for the National Team since 2005, topping the score and attack statistics leaderboard in almost every single game. It is a known tactic among coaches to only focus on stopping Kim when playing against Korea, as she is their main and almost only scorer.

Mariusz Wlazly

Mariusz Łukasz Wlazły is a Polish volleyball player, known as a member of the Poland men’s national volleyball team in 2005–2014, participant at the Olympic Games (Beijing 2008), 2014 World Champion, multiple-time Polish Champion (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018). At the professional club level, he chose to play for Trefl Gdańsk.

Wlazły played in Skra Bełchatów for over 10 years. During that time he won eight titles of the Polish Champion (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014). With PGE Skra, he won a bronze medal at the 2007–08 CEV Champions League, and was also individually awarded as the Best Spiker of the tournament. He won a bronze medal at the 2009–10 CEV Champions League, playing with Skra Bełchatów, and was awarded as the Best Scorer. Mariusz won a silver medal and the Most Valuable Player award in the CEV Champions League 2011/2012. He has silver medals from the Club World Championships in 2009 and 2010, and a bronze medal in 2012. In 2014, he won his 8th title of the Polish Champion with Skra.

On 8 October 2014, his team won the Polish SuperCup. His club played in the Final four of the 2014–15 CEV Champions League, but lost in the semifinal to Asseco Resovia, and in a match for third place to Berlin Recycling Volleys, and did not achieve any medal. In May 2015, he signed a contract with Qatari club Al Arabi Doha for the duration of the Emir Cup (only 2 matches). All the money earned in Qatar, Mariusz Wlazły decided to transfer to his own foundation. On 7 February 2016, he won the Polish Cup after beating ZAKSA in the final.

He was a member of the Polish national team, which won the title of the U21 World Champion. He made his debut in the senior national team during 2004 summer season and by FIVB World League 2005 he had already established himself as one of the most important players of the national team. In 2006, he won second place at the FIVB World Championship held in Japan. During that tournament he was nominated for the Most Valuable Player award, losing only to Brazilian star Giba. In 2010 he gave up playing for Polish national team because of a conflict with management.

On 8 April 2014, Wlazły was appointed to the Polish national team after 4 years of absence, by the head coach Stéphane Antiga. On 16 August 2014, he was appointed to the squad at the World Championship held in Poland. On 21 September 2014, Poland, including Wlazły, won a title of the World Champion. He received two individual awards for the Best Opposite Spiker and Most Valuable Player of the tournament. On the day of winning the gold medal, Wlazły announced his retirement from the national team. On 27 October 2014, he received a state award granted by the Polish President Bronisław Komorowski – Officer’s Cross of Polonia Restituta for outstanding sports achievements, and promotion of Poland in the world.

Luca Cantagalli

Luca Cantagalli is an Italian volleyball former player who was twice World champion with his national team in 1990 and 1994. He was nicknamed “bazooka” by the fans, due to his powerful spikes. He competed at three Olympic Games, winning a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Debuting on 18 March 1986, he totaled 330 caps for Italy men’s national volleyball team. He was four times Italian champion and three times European Champion (1989, 1993 and 1995).

After announcing his retire at the end of the 2005-2006 season, he played shortly for the team of his native Cavriago in the A2 series of Italy. Cantagalli retired in 2007.

Jochen Schöps

Jochen Schöps is a German volleyball player, known as a member of Germany men’s national volleyball team and German club United Volleys Frankfurt. He is a gold medalist of the 2009 European League, bronze medalist of the 2014 World Championship, 2007 CEV Champions League winner, Polish Champion (2015).

He won the 2006–07 CEV Champions League with VfB Friedrichshafen, and was named Most Valuable Player. With Iskra Odintsovo he won the bronze medal at the 2008–09 CEV Champions League and also was individually named Best Scorer. In the season 2013/2014 he won a silver medal of the Polish Championship 2013/2014 after losing the final (0-3 in matches, to three wins) with PGE Skra Bełchatów. On 29 March 2015 Asseco Resovia Rzeszów, including Schöps, achieved silver medal of the 2014–15 CEV Champions League. In April 2015 he signed next two-year contract till 2017.

He was named Best Scorer at the first 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Düsseldorf, where Germany ended up on the first place and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Yury Berezhko

Yury Viktorovich Berezhko is a Russian volleyball player. He’s known for playing as an outside hitter for Zenit-Kazan (men’s volleyball).

He is an Olympic gold medalist (2012), bronze medalist (2008), World Cup silver medalist and a silver medalist at the 2007 European Championship in Moscow, Russia, playing with the men’s national team. Berezhko won Best server Award in 2009 European Championship. He won the award of Best Spiker in that occasion. In January, 2016 Yury Berezhko resumed performances for the Russian national team, helping the Russians qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Roman Yakovlev

Roman Nikolayevich Yakovlev is a former volleyball player born in Ukraine, who played for Russia. He was a member of the Men’s National Team that won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Two years later he won the Volleyball World League (2002) with Russia.

Jordan Larson

Jordan Quinn Larson is an American professional volleyball player and a multiple-time Olympic medalist. Larson won gold with the national team at the 2014 World Championship, the Rimini Volleyball Nations League, and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her 2020 Olympics win allowed her to complete the trifecta of winning an Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medal.

In January 2022, Larson was named as an assistant coach for the University of Texas women’s volleyball team, her first collegiate coaching role.