# Volleyball at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

The 1972 Women's Olympic Volleyball Tournament was the 3rd edition of the event, organized by the world's governing body, the FIVB in conjunction with the IOC. It was held in Munich, West Germany from 27 August to 7 September 1972.

## Qualification

| Qualifiers | Date | Host | Vacancies | Qualified |
| Host Country | 26 April 1966 | Rome | 1 | West Germany |
| 1968 Olympic Games | 13–26 October 1968 | Mexico City | 1 | Soviet Union |
| 1970 World Championship | 22 Sep. – 2 Oct. 1970 | Varna | 3 | Japan North Korea Hungary |
| 1970 Asian Games | 10 - 19 Oct. 1970 | Bangkok | 1 | South Korea* |
| 1971 European Championship | 23 Sep. – 1 Oct. 1971 | Reggio Emilia | 1 | Czechoslovakia |
| 1971 Pan American Games | 31 July – 11 Aug. 1971 | Cali | 1 | Cuba |
| Total | Total | Total | 8 | |
* South Korea qualified as next best Asian team as Japan is already qualified.

## 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 |
| West Germany | Japan |
| Hungary | Czechoslovakia |
| Soviet Union | North Korea |
| South Korea | Cuba |

## Venue

* Volleyball Hall, Munich, West Germany

## Preliminary round
### Pool A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 4.500 | 159 | 96 | 1.656 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 2 | South Korea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2.333 | 127 | 99 | 1.283 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 3 | Hungary | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0.667 | 114 | 131 | 0.870 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| 4 | West Germany | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0.000 | 61 | 135 | 0.452 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 27 Aug | Hungary | 3–0 | West Germany | 15–8 | 15–11 | 15–9 | | 45–28 | Report |
| 27 Aug | South Korea | 1–3 | Soviet Union | 15–11 | 8–15 | 7–15 | 7–15 | 37–56 | Report |
| 29 Aug | Hungary | 0–3 | South Korea | 7–15 | 13–15 | 11–15 | | 31–45 | Report |
| 29 Aug | Soviet Union | 3–0 | West Germany | 15–5 | 15–7 | 15–9 | | 45–21 | Report |
| 31 Aug | Hungary | 1–3 | Soviet Union | 12–15 | 2–15 | 15–13 | 9–15 | 38–58 | Report |
| 31 Aug | South Korea | 3–0 | West Germany | 15–2 | 15–8 | 15–2 | | 45–12 | Report |

### Pool B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 | MAX | 136 | 56 | 2.429 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 2 | North Korea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2.000 | 119 | 76 | 1.566 | 1st–4th semifinals |
| 3 | Cuba | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0.429 | 73 | 140 | 0.521 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| 4 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0.111 | 85 | 141 | 0.603 | 5th–8th semifinals |
| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 28 Aug | Cuba | 0–3 | North Korea | 1–15 | 8–15 | 3–15 | | 12–45 | Report |
| 28 Aug | Japan | 3–0 | Czechoslovakia | 15–1 | 15–7 | 15–9 | | 45–17 | Report |
| 30 Aug | Cuba | 0–3 | Japan | 2–15 | 3–15 | 5–15 | | 10–45 | Report |
| 30 Aug | Czechoslovakia | 0–3 | North Korea | 3–15 | 7–15 | 8–15 | | 18–45 | Report |
| 1 Sep | Cuba | 3–1 | Czechoslovakia | 6–15 | 15–12 | 15–10 | 15–13 | 51–50 | Report |
| 1 Sep | Japan | 3–0 | North Korea | 15–3 | 15–2 | 16–14 | | 46–19 | Report |

## Final round
### 5th–8th place

| 5th–8th places | 5th–8th places | 5th place | 5th place |
| 2 September | 2 September |
| West Germany | 0 |
| West Germany | 0 | 7 September | 7 September |
| Cuba | 3 | 7 September | 7 September |
| Cuba | 3 | Cuba | 2 |
| 2 September | 2 September | | Cuba | 2 |
| 2 September | 2 September | Hungary | 3 |
| Hungary | 3 | Hungary | 3 |
| Czechoslovakia | 2 | | |
| Czechoslovakia | 2 | 7th place | 7th place |
| | | 7 September | 7 September |
| | | Czechoslovakia | 3 |
| | | West Germany | 0 |

#### 5th–8th place semifinals

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 2 Sep | West Germany | 0–3 | Cuba | 11–15 | 13–15 | 15–17 | | | 39–47 | Report |
| 2 Sep | Hungary | 3–2 | Czechoslovakia | 15–9 | 13–15 | 11–15 | 15–10 | 15–11 | 69–60 | Report |

#### 7th place match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 7 Sep | Czechoslovakia | 3–0 | West Germany | 15–13 | 15–4 | 16–14 | | | 46–31 | Report |

#### 5th place match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 7 Sep | Cuba | 2–3 | Hungary | 15–13 | 16–14 | 14–16 | 5–15 | 11–15 | 61–73 | Report |

### Final

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Gold medal match | Gold medal match |
| 3 September | 3 September |
| South Korea | 0 |
| South Korea | 0 | 7 September | 7 September |
| Japan | 3 | 7 September | 7 September |
| Japan | 3 | Japan | 2 |
| 3 September | 3 September | | Japan | 2 |
| 3 September | 3 September | Soviet Union | 3 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | Soviet Union | 3 |
| North Korea | 1 | | |
| North Korea | 1 | Bronze medal match | Bronze medal match |
| | | 7 September | 7 September |
| | | South Korea | 0 |
| | | North Korea | 3 |

#### Semifinals

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 3 Sep | South Korea | 0–3 | Japan | 3–15 | 5–15 | 9–15 | | | 17–45 | Report |
| 3 Sep | Soviet Union | 3–1 | North Korea | 15–10 | 16–14 | 7–15 | 15–8 | | 53–47 | Report |

#### Bronze medal match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 7 Sep | South Korea | 0–3 | North Korea | 7–15 | 9–15 | 9–15 | | | 25–45 | Report |

#### Gold medal match

| Date | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 7 Sep | Japan | 2–3 | Soviet Union | 11–15 | 15–4 | 11–15 | 15–9 | 11–15 | 63–58 | Report |

## Final standing

| Rank | Team |
| | Soviet Union |
| | Japan |
| | North Korea |
| 4 | South Korea |
| 5 | Hungary |
| 6 | Cuba |
| 7 | Czechoslovakia |
| 8 | West Germany |
* 1972 Women's Olympic champions
* Soviet Union 2nd title
* 12-woman roster
* Vera Galushka-Duyunova, Tatyana Ponyayeva-Tretyakova, Nina Smoleeva, Roza Salikhova, Lyudmila Buldakova, Tatyana Gonobobleva, Lyubov Turina, Galina Leontyeva, Inna Ryskal, Tatyana Sarycheva, Lyudmila Borozna, Nataliya Kudreva
* Head coach
* Givi Akhvlediani

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Soviet Union (URS)Vera Galushka-Duyunova Tatyana Ponyayeva-Tretyakova Nina Smoleeva Roza Salikhova Lyudmila Buldakova Tatyana Gonobobleva Lyubov Turina Galina Leontyeva Inna Ryskal Tatyana Sarycheva Lyudmila Borozna Nataliya Kudreva Head coach: Givi Akhvlediani | Japan (JPN)Sumie Oinuma Noriko Yamashita Seiko Shimakage Makiko Furukawa Takako Iida Katsumi Matsumura Michiko Shiokawa Takako Shirai Mariko Okamoto Keiko Hama Yaeko Yamazaki Toyoko Iwahara Head coach: Kōji Kojima | North Korea (PRK)Ri Chun-Ok Kim Myong-Suk Kim Zung-Bok Kang Ok-Sun Kim Yeun-Ja Hwang He-Suk Jang Ok-Rim Paek Myong-Suk Ryom Chun-Ja Kim Su-Dae Jong Ok-Jin Head coach: |