Who wore number 3 in volleyball?

What number you wear can often be a big part of a player’s volleyball identity. Some players care more than others about the number they don, but even for those who are indifferent to them, those numbers help connect players with young fans and can even have sentimental value. Like it or not, numbers are a big part of what can make this game great.

Mireya Luis

Alejandrina Mireya Luis Hernández, often referred to as Mireya, is a retired Cuban volleyball player.

At the age of 10 she started playing volleyball. At 16, Mireya joined the Cuban national team for the 1983 Pan-American Games, in which Cuba took first place. She would play with them again in the 1987 Games, and Cuba would again win the tournament. After a brief hiatus due to injury, she resumed play in 1990 at the World Championship in Japan where the Cuban team finished fourth. In 1991 she led the Cuban team to win its first ever World Cup in Mexico.

Mireya won her first Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Games in Barcelona with team mate Regla Bell. She would win a second gold in Atlanta in 1996, again playing with the Cuban national team. Meanwhile, she also led Cuba to two world championships in 1994 where she was chosen the best spiker and Cuba won every match with a perfect 3-0. The team would win again in 1998. Mireya retired after a second Grand Prix and a third Olympic gold medal in 2000.

Luis is known for her spectacular jumping power reaching 3.39 meter, though being only 1.75 meter tall. She earned numerous “best scorer”, “best spiker” and “best player” awards at world, Olympic and continental championships.

Emanuele Birarelli

Emanuele Birarelli is an Italian volleyball player, known as a member of Italy men’s national volleyball team and Italian club Sir Safety Perugia. He is a silver medalist of 2016 Summer Olympics, bronze medalist of 2012 Summer Olympics and participant of the Olympic Games 2008 Summer Olympics, World League (2013, 2014) and silver medalist of European Championship (2011, 2013).

Giovane Gávio

Giovane Farinazzo Gavio, known as Giovane, is a retired Brazilian volleyball coach and former player, who was a member of the Brazil men’s national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain by defeating The Netherlands (3-0) in the final.

Playing as an outside hitter, Gavio competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. Later on he started a career in beach volleyball. He is also known as the head coach of Superliga’s champions, SESI São Paulo. He is the first Brazilian player (and second overall, after Javier Weber) to win the Superliga both as player and coach.

Pasquale Gravina

Pasquale Gravina is a manager and a former Italian professional volleyball player.

Gravina is 201 cm and played as middle attacker. After some experiences for minor leagues, he made his debut in the Italian volleyball championship first division in 1988, for Falconara. His qualities, especially in block actions, made him a choice for a top team: Maxicono Parma in 1990. In this club he won the scudetto in 1992 and 1993. Later he played from 1996 until 2001 for Sisley Volley where he won the national title three times more. Then he played for Lube Volley in which he won the Champions League in 2002 and the Italian Cup in 2003. After one year playing for Cuneo, he returned in 2005 to Sisley Volley where he won the last Italian title and Cup before his retiring. He achieved a total of 20 titles.

Gravina played 284 times for the Italian National Team, for which he made his debut in 1990 at San Diego against the US Team. He won gold medal in 1994 and 1998 at Volleyball World Championship, and gold medal in 1993, 1995 and 1999 at Volleyball European Championship, plus four Volleyball World League and several other prestigious victories for a total of 13 titles. He was silver medal at 1996 Summer Olympics and bronze medal at 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Éder Carbonera

Éder Francis Carbonera is a Brazilian volleyball player known for playing with Taubaté. He was part of the Brazil men’s national volleyball team at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship and 2016 Summer Olympics. He played for Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei from 2013 to 2016. In 2009, Carbonera helped Brazil win the gold medal in the three competitions disputed, World League, Champions Cup and South American Championship.

Aleksandr Savin

Aleksandr Borisovich Savin is a Russian former volleyball player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1976 Summer Olympics and in the 1980 Summer Olympics.

In 1976 he was part of the Soviet team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. He played all five matches.

Four years later he won the gold medal with the Soviet team in the 1980 Olympic tournament. He played all six matches.

He was a major part of the Soviet Union men’s national volleyball team’s success in the late 1970s to early 1980s by winning 1977 FIVB Men’s World Cup, 1978 FIVB Men’s World Championship, 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, 1981 FIVB Men’s World Cup and 1982 FIVB Men’s World Championship in row.

Alexander Kosarev

Aleksandr Borisovich Kosarev is a Russian volleyball player, known as a member of Russia men’s national volleyball team and Russian club Belogorie Belgorod.

Kosarev competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where Russia claimed the bronze medal by defeating the United States in the play-off for third place.