# Soviet Union women's national volleyball team

The Soviet Union women's national volleyball team was the national volleyball team that had represented the Soviet Union in the International competitions between 1952 until 1991.
FIVB considers Russia as the inheritor of the records of Soviet Union (1952–1991) and CIS (1992). The USSR Volleyball Federation joined the FIVB in 1948, a year after the foundation of the international governing body. In 1952, they triumphed in the first ever FIVB Women’s World Championship and have been dominating the international scene ever since, having won Four Summer Olympics, Five World Championships, one World Cup and 13 European Championships.

## History

The USSR Volleyball Federation joined the FIVB in 1948 and in 1952 they sent a team to compete in the first ever World Championship. They were soon regularly topping the podium at international competitions such as the Olympic Games, World Championship and European Championships and the World Cup.

## Major world titles
### USSR

| Year | Games | Host | Runners-up | 3rd place |
| 1952 | 1st World Championship | Soviet Union | Poland | Czechoslovakia |
| 1956 | 2nd World Championship | France | Romania | Poland |
| 1960 | 3rd World Championship | Brazil | Japan | Czechoslovakia |
| 1968$^#$ | 19th Olympic Games | Mexico | Japan | Poland |
| 1970$^#$ | 6th World Championship | Bulgaria | Japan | North Korea |
| 1972$^#$ | 20th Olympic Games | West Germany | Japan | North Korea |
| 1973$^#$ | 1st World Cup | Uruguay | Japan | South Korea |
| 1980 | 22nd Olympic Games | Soviet Union | East Germany | Bulgaria |
| 1988 | 24th Olympic Games | South Korea | Peru | China |
| 1990 | 11th World Championship | China | China | United States |
$^#$ – 4 major titles in row in late 1960s - early 1970s (World Women's Volleyball Championship, World Cup, Olympic Games)

## Results
### Olympic Games

* 1964 – Silver Medal
* 1968 – Gold Medal
* 1972 – Gold Medal
* 1976 – Silver Medal
* 1980 – Gold Medal
* 1988 – Gold Medal

#### Unified Team

* 1992 – Silver Medal

### FIVB World Championship

* 1952 – Gold Medal
* 1956 – Gold Medal
* 1960 – Gold Medal
* 1962 – Silver Medal
* 1970 – Gold Medal
* 1974 – Silver Medal
* 1978 – Bronze Medal
* 1982 – 6th place
* 1986 – 6th place
* 1990 – Gold Medal

### FIVB World Cup

* 1973 – Gold Medal
* 1977 – 7th place (tied)
* 1981 – Bronze Medal
* 1985 – Bronze Medal
* 1989 – Silver Medal
* 1991 – Bronze Medal

### European Championship

* 1949 – Gold Medal
* 1950 – Gold Medal
* 1951 – Gold Medal
* 1955 – Silver Medal
* 1958 – Gold Medal
* 1963 – Gold Medal
* 1967 – Gold Medal
* 1971 – Gold Medal
* 1975 – Gold Medal
* 1977 – Gold Medal
* 1979 – Gold Medal
* 1981 – Silver Medal
* 1983 – Silver Medal
* 1985 – Gold Medal
* 1987 – Silver Medal
* 1989 – Gold Medal
* 1991 – Gold Medal

### Team
## 1990 Last World Championship squad

Coach: Nikolay Karpol
| No. | Name | Age | Height | Weight |
| 1 | Valentina Ogiyenko | 25 | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | 74 kg (163 lb) |
| 3 | Marina Nikulina | 27 | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |
| 4 | Yelena Batuchina | 19 | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |
| 5 | Irina Smirnova | 22 | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | 74 kg (163 lb) |
| 6 | Tatyana Sidorenko | 24 | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) |
| 7 | Irina Parchomtschuk | 25 | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |
| 10 | Svetlana Vasilevskaya | 19 | | |
| 11 | Yelena Ovtschinnikova | 25 | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |
| 12 | Irina Gorbatiuk | 27 | | |
| 13 | Svetlana Korytova | 22 | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |
| 14 | Yuliya Bubnova | 19 | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |
| 15 | Olga Tolmachyova | 27 | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |