# Volleyball at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

The 1976 Women's Olympic Volleyball Tournament was the 4th edition of the event, organized by the world's governing body, the FIVB in conjunction with the IOC. It was held in Montréal, Québec, Canada from July 19 to 30, 1976.
This is the second time the Japanese Women's National Volleyball Team won in the Olympics. The team was coached by Shigeo Yamada.

## Qualification

| Qualifiers | Date | Host | Vacancies | Qualified |
| Host Country | 12 May 1970 | Amsterdam | 1 | Canada |
| 1972 Olympic Games | 27 Aug. – 7 Sep. 1972 | Munich | 1 | Soviet Union |
| 1974 World Championship | 12–28 October 1974 | Guadalajara | 1 | Japan |
| 1975 Asian Championship | 17–28 August 1975 | Melbourne | 1 | South Korea* |
| 1975 NORCECA Championship | 1975 | Los Angeles | 1 | Cuba |
| 1975 South American Championship | 1975 | Asunción | 1 | Peru |
| 1975 European Championship | 18–25 October 1975 | Belgrade | 1 | Hungary* |
| Last Chance tournament | | Heidelberg | 1 | East Germany** |
| Total | Total | Total | 8 | |
* South Korea and Hungary qualified as next best team as Japan and Soviet Union are already qualified. ** East Germany qualified after a last chance tournament held in Heidelberg, West Germany.

## Format

The tournament was played in two different stages. In the Preliminary round (first stage), the eight participants were divided into two pools of four teams. A single round-robin format was played within each pool to determine the teams position in the pool. The Final round (second stage) was played in a single elimination format, where the preliminary round two highest ranked teams in each group advanced to the semifinals and the two lowest ranked teams advanced to the 5th–8th place semifinals.

## Pools composition

| Pool A | Pool B |
| Canada | Soviet Union |
| Peru | South Korea |
| Japan | East Germany |
| Hungary | Cuba |

## Venues

* Montréal Forum, Québec, Canada
* Paul Sauvé Arena, Québec, Canada

## Preliminary round

* venue: Paul Sauvé Arena

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 | MAX | 135 | 43 | 3.140 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 2 | Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1.200 | 120 | 132 | 0.909 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 3 | Peru | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.500 | 124 | 154 | 0.805 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0.333 | 113 | 163 | 0.693 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 19 Jul | Hungary | 0–3 | Japan | 6–15 | 3–15 | 4–15 | | | 13–45 | Report |
| 19 Jul | Canada | 2–3 | Peru | 15–12 | 4–15 | 10–15 | 15–7 | 12–15 | 56–64 | Report |
| 21 Jul | Peru | 0–3 | Japan | 7–15 | 4–15 | 9–15 | | | 20–45 | Report |
| 21 Jul | Canada | 1–3 | Hungary | 13–15 | 10–15 | 15–9 | 9–15 | | 47–54 | Report |
| 23 Jul | Hungary | 3–1 | Peru | 7–15 | 15–8 | 15–3 | 16–14 | | 53–40 | Report |
| 23 Jul | Japan | 3–0 | Canada | 15–6 | 15–2 | 15–2 | | | 45–10 | Report |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 2.250 | 186 | 137 | 1.358 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 2 | South Korea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 1.000 | 179 | 171 | 1.047 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 3 | Cuba | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 0.857 | 150 | 168 | 0.893 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| 4 | East Germany | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0.556 | 144 | 183 | 0.787 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 20 Jul | South Korea | 1–3 | Soviet Union | 14–16 | 15–12 | 2–15 | 14–16 | | 45–59 | Report |
| 20 Jul | East Germany | 1–3 | Cuba | 15–7 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 13–15 | | 38–52 | Report |
| 22 Jul | Cuba | 1–3 | Soviet Union | 9–15 | 15–13 | 11–15 | 10–15 | | 45–58 | Report |
| 22 Jul | East Germany | 2–3 | South Korea | 15–5 | 15–11 | 14–16 | 2–15 | 13–15 | 59–62 | Report |
| 24 Jul | South Korea | 3–2 | Cuba | 14–16 | 15–4 | 15–8 | 13–15 | 15–10 | 72–53 | Report |
| 24 Jul | Soviet Union | 3–2 | East Germany | 15–11 | 13–15 | 11–15 | 15–5 | 15–1 | 69–47 | Report |

## Final round
### 5th–8th place

* venue: Paul Sauvé Arena.
| 5th–8th places | 5th–8th places | 5th place | 5th place |
| 26 July | 26 July |
| Peru | 2 |
| Peru | 2 | 27 July | 27 July |
| East Germany | 3 | 27 July | 27 July |
| East Germany | 3 | East Germany | 0 |
| 26 July | 26 July | | East Germany | 0 |
| 26 July | 26 July | Cuba | 3 |
| Canada | 2 | Cuba | 3 |
| Cuba | 3 | | |
| Cuba | 3 | 7th place | 7th place |
| | | 27 July | 27 July |
| | | Canada | 1 |
| | | Peru | 3 |

#### 5th–8th place semifinals

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 26 Jul | Canada | 2–3 | Cuba | 15–13 | 7–15 | 16–14 | 9–15 | 3–15 | 50–72 | Report |
| 26 Jul | Peru | 2–3 | East Germany | 11–15 | 9–15 | 15–8 | 15–8 | 8–15 | 58–61 | Report |

#### 7th place match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 27 Jul | Canada | 1–3 | Peru | 9–15 | 15–12 | 4–15 | 7–15 | | 35–57 | Report |

#### 5th place match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 27 Jul | East Germany | 0–3 | Cuba | 12–15 | 12–15 | 8–15 | | | 32–45 | Report |

### Final Round

* venue: Montréal Forum.
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Gold medal match | Gold medal match |
| 29 July | 29 July |
| Japan | 3 |
| Japan | 3 | 30 July | 30 July |
| South Korea | 0 | 30 July | 30 July |
| South Korea | 0 | Japan | 3 |
| 29 July | 29 July | | Japan | 3 |
| 29 July | 29 July | Soviet Union | 0 |
| Hungary | 0 | Soviet Union | 0 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | | |
| Soviet Union | 3 | Bronze medal match | Bronze medal match |
| | | 30 July | 30 July |
| | | South Korea | 3 |
| | | Hungary | 1 |

#### Semifinals

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 29 Jul | Hungary | 0–3 | Soviet Union | 10–15 | 10–15 | 9–15 | | | 29–45 | Report |
| 29 Jul | Japan | 3–0 | South Korea | 15–13 | 15–6 | 15–5 | | | 45–24 | Report |

#### Bronze medal match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 30 Jul | South Korea | 3–1 | Hungary | 12–15 | 15–12 | 15–10 | 15–6 | | 57–43 | Report |

#### Gold medal match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 30 Jul | Japan | 3–0 | Soviet Union | 15–7 | 15–8 | 15–2 | | | 45–17 | Report |

## Final standing

| Rank | Team |
| | Japan |
| | Soviet Union |
| | South Korea |
| 4 | Hungary |
| 5 | Cuba |
| 6 | East Germany |
| 7 | Peru |
| 8 | Canada |
* 1976 Women's Olympic champions
* Japan 2nd title
* 12-woman roster
* Shoko Takayanagi, Juri Yokoyama, Mariko Yoshida, Hiromi Yano, Takako Shirai, Mariko Okamoto, Echiko Maeda, Noriko Matsuda, Yuko Arakida, Kiyomi Kato, Katsuko Kanesaka, Takako Iida
* Head coach
* Shigeo Yamada

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Japan (JPN) Shoko Takayanagi Juri Yokoyama Mariko Yoshida Hiromi Yano Takako Shirai Mariko Okamoto Echiko Maeda Noriko Matsuda Yuko Arakida Kiyomi Kato Katsuko Kanesaka Takako Iida Head coach: Shigeo Yamada | Soviet Union (URS) Lyudmila Chernysova Larisa Bergen Olga Kozakova Natalya Kushnir Nina Muradyan Liliya Osadchaya Nina Smoleyeva Lyudmila Shchetinina Inna Ryskal Anna Rostova Lyubov Rudovskaya Zoya Yusova Head coach: Givi Akhvlediani | South Korea (KOR) Yu Jung-hye Yu Kyung-hwa Jung Soon-ok Yoon Young-nae Park Mi-kum Ma Kum-ja Lee Soon-ok Lee Soon-bok Baik Myung-sun Jo Hea-jung Byon Kyung-ja Chang Hee-sook Head coach: Lee Kyo-so |