# 1991 Women's European Volleyball Championship

The 1991 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the 17th edition of the event, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. It was hosted in several cities in Italy from 28 September to 6 October 1991, with the final round held in Rome.

## Participating teams

| Team | Method of qualification |
| Albania | Qualification group 1 runners-up |
| Bulgaria | Qualification group 2 winners |
| Czechoslovakia | Qualification group 1 winners |
| France | Qualification group 4 runners-up |
| Germany | 1989 edition second place |
| Greece | Qualification group 3 winners |
| Italy | Hosts |
| Netherlands | Qualification group 2 runners-up |
| Poland | Qualification group 4 winners |
| Romania | 1989 edition fourth place* |
| Soviet Union | 1989 edition first place |
| Yugoslavia | Qualification group 3 runners-up |
*Note: As Italy qualified as hosts and for finishing the 1989 tournament as third, Romania gained a qualification place for finishing fourth in 1989.

## Format

The tournament was played in two different stages. In the first stage, the twelve participants were divided in two groups of six teams each. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams' group position. The second stage of the tournament consisted of two sets of semifinals to determine the tournament final ranking. The group stage firsts and seconds played the semifinals for first to fourth place, group stage thirds and fourths played the fifth to eighth place semifinals and the remaining four teams which finished group stages as fifth and sixth ended all tied in final ranking at ninth place. The pairing of the semifinals was made so teams played against the opposite group teams which finished in a different position (first played against second, third played against fourth).

## Pools composition

| Pool A | Pool B |
| Albania | Czechoslovakia |
| Bulgaria | Germany |
| France | Netherlands |
| Greece | Poland |
| Italy | Romania |
| Soviet Union | Yugoslavia |

## Venues

| Pool A | Pool B | Final round | RomeRavennaBariclass=notpageimage| Tournament host cities |
| Ravenna | Bari | Rome | RomeRavennaBariclass=notpageimage| Tournament host cities |

## Preliminary round

* All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).

### Pool A

* venue location: Ravenna, Italy
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 15 | 0 | MAX | 225 | 98 | 2.296 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Italy | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 4.000 | 201 | 124 | 1.621 | Semifinals |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 1.000 | 212 | 203 | 1.044 | 5th–8th place |
| 4 | Greece | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 0.583 | 171 | 249 | 0.687 | 5th–8th place |
| 5 | France | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0.500 | 203 | 225 | 0.902 | |
| 6 | Albania | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 0.133 | 125 | 238 | 0.525 | |
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 28 Sep | 15:30 | Greece | 3–2 | France | 15–9 | 8–15 | 10–15 | 15–5 | 15–13 | 63–57 | Report |
| 28 Sep | 18:00 | Soviet Union | 3–0 | Bulgaria | 15–7 | 15–2 | 15–11 | | | 45–20 | Report |
| 28 Sep | 20:30 | Albania | 0–3 | Italy | 3–15 | 12–15 | 1–15 | | | 16–45 | Report |
| 29 Sep | 15:30 | Soviet Union | 3–0 | France | 15–6 | 15–11 | 15–13 | | | 45–30 | Report |
| 29 Sep | 18:00 | Bulgaria | 0–3 | Italy | 7–15 | 9–15 | 9–15 | | | 25–45 | Report |
| 29 Sep | 20:30 | Albania | 1–3 | Greece | 7–15 | 15–6 | 8–15 | 14–16 | | 44–52 | Report |
| 30 Sep | 15:30 | Bulgaria | 3–1 | France | 12–15 | 16–14 | 15–9 | 15–9 | | 58–47 | Report |
| 30 Sep | 18:00 | Albania | 0–3 | Soviet Union | 2–15 | 7–15 | 6–15 | | | 15–45 | Report |
| 30 Sep | 20:30 | Greece | 0–3 | Italy | 1–15 | 6–15 | 7–15 | | | 14–45 | Report |
| 2 Oct | 15:45 | France | 0–3 | Italy | 6–15 | 6–15 | 12–15 | | | 24–45 | Report |
| 2 Oct | 18:00 | Greece | 0–3 | Soviet Union | 7–15 | 2–15 | 3–15 | | | 12–45 | Report |
| 2 Oct | 20:30 | Albania | 1–3 | Bulgaria | 7–15 | 15–6 | 11–15 | 3–15 | | 36–51 | Report |
| 3 Oct | 15:30 | Greece | 1–3 | Bulgaria | 15–13 | 5–15 | 7–15 | 3–15 | | 30–58 | Report |
| 3 Oct | 18:00 | Albania | 0–3 | France | 4–15 | 1–15 | 9–15 | | | 14–45 | Report |
| 3 Oct | 20:30 | Soviet Union | 3–0 | Italy | 15–6 | 15–6 | 15–9 | | | 45–21 | Report |

### Pool B

* venue location: Bari, Italy
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 4.667 | 246 | 171 | 1.439 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Germany | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 2.167 | 258 | 186 | 1.387 | Semifinals |
| 3 | Romania | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 1.250 | 222 | 203 | 1.094 | 5th–8th place |
| 4 | Czechoslovakia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 1.111 | 231 | 203 | 1.138 | 5th–8th place |
| 5 | Poland | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 0.429 | 216 | 254 | 0.850 | |
| 6 | Yugoslavia | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 0.133 | 93 | 249 | 0.373 | |
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 28 Sep | 15:30 | Yugoslavia | 2–3 | Poland | 15–13 | 15–11 | 4–15 | 7–15 | 5–15 | 46–69 | Report |
| 28 Sep | 18:00 | Netherlands | 3–0 | Czechoslovakia | 17–15 | 17–15 | 15–13 | | | 49–43 | Report |
| 28 Sep | 20:30 | Romania | 1–3 | Germany | 4–15 | 6–15 | 15–12 | 12–15 | | 37–57 | Report |
| 29 Sep | 15:30 | Netherlands | 3–0 | Poland | 15–7 | 15–8 | 15–4 | | | 45–19 | Report |
| 29 Sep | 18:00 | Czechoslovakia | 3–1 | Germany | 15–11 | 3–15 | 15–10 | 15–3 | | 48–39 | Report |
| 29 Sep | 20:30 | Romania | 3–0 | Yugoslavia | 15–9 | 15–7 | 15–2 | | | 45–18 | Report |
| 30 Sep | 15:30 | Czechoslovakia | 3–2 | Poland | 15–8 | 3–15 | 15–9 | 9–15 | 15–6 | 57–53 | Report |
| 30 Sep | 18:00 | Romania | 0–3 | Netherlands | 10–15 | 7–15 | 11–15 | | | 28–45 | Report |
| 30 Sep | 20:30 | Yugoslavia | 0–3 | Germany | 6–15 | 2–15 | 1–15 | | | 9–45 | Report |
| 2 Oct | 15:30 | Romania | 3–1 | Czechoslovakia | 15–11 | 15–10 | 6–15 | 15–2 | | 51–38 | Report |
| 2 Oct | 18:00 | Yugoslavia | 0–3 | Netherlands | 4–15 | 4–15 | 1–15 | | | 9–45 | Report |
| 2 Oct | 20:30 | Poland | 0–3 | Germany | 12–15 | 8–15 | 10–15 | | | 30–45 | Report |
| 3 Oct | 15:30 | Netherlands | 2–3 | Germany | 15–12 | 14–16 | 4–15 | 16–14 | 13–15 | 62–72 | Report |
| 3 Oct | 18:00 | Romania | 3–1 | Poland | 15–13 | 16–17 | 15–4 | 15–11 | | 61–45 | Report |
| 3 Oct | 20:30 | Yugoslavia | 0–3 | Czechoslovakia | 3–15 | 6–15 | 2–15 | | | 11–45 | Report |

## Final round

* venue location: Rome, Italy
* All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).

### 5th–8th place

* Pools A and B third and fourth positions play each other.
| Semifinals | Semifinals | 5th place | 5th place |
| 5 Oct | 5 Oct |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| Bulgaria | 1 | Czechoslovakia | 3 |
| 5 Oct | 5 Oct | | Czechoslovakia | 3 |
| 5 Oct | 5 Oct | Romania | 1 |
| Romania | 3 | Romania | 1 |
| Greece | 1 | | |
| Greece | 1 | 7th place | 7th place |
| | | 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| | | Bulgaria | 3 |
| | | Greece | 2 |

#### 5th–8th semifinals

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 5 Oct | 9:00 | Romania | 3–1 | Greece | 15–9 | 15–8 | 5–15 | 15–10 | | 50–42 | Report |
| 5 Oct | 11:30 | Czechoslovakia | 3–1 | Bulgaria | 15–5 | 15–7 | 14–16 | 15–12 | | 59–40 | Report |

#### 7th place match

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 6 Oct | 9:00 | Bulgaria | 3–2 | Greece | 15–12 | 15–11 | 12–15 | 11–15 | 15–13 | 68–66 | Report |

#### 5th place match

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 6 Oct | 11:30 | Czechoslovakia | 3–1 | Romania | 15–10 | 5–15 | 16–14 | 15–10 | | 51–49 | Report |

### Final

* Pools A and B first and second positions play each other.
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| 5 Oct | 5 Oct |
| Soviet Union | 3 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| Germany | 0 | 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| Germany | 0 | Soviet Union | 3 |
| 5 Oct | 5 Oct | | Soviet Union | 3 |
| 5 Oct | 5 Oct | Netherlands | 0 |
| Netherlands | 3 | Netherlands | 0 |
| Italy | 1 | | |
| Italy | 1 | 3rd place | 3rd place |
| | | 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| | | Germany | 3 |
| | | Italy | 1 |

#### Semifinals

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 5 Oct | 16:00 | Netherlands | 3–1 | Italy | 12–15 | 15–6 | 15–7 | 16–14 | | 58–42 | Report |
| 5 Oct | 18:30 | Soviet Union | 3–0 | Germany | 15–6 | 15–3 | 15–11 | | | 45–20 | Report |

#### 3rd place match

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 6 Oct | 15:00 | Germany | 3–1 | Italy | 9–15 | 15–8 | 15–7 | 15–10 | | 54–40 | Report |

#### Final

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 6 Oct | 17:30 | Soviet Union | 3–0 | Netherlands | 15–4 | 15–2 | 15–3 | | | 45–9 | Report |

## Final ranking

| Place | Team |
| | Soviet Union |
| | Netherlands |
| | Germany |
| 4. | Italy |
| 5. | Czechoslovakia |
| 6. | Romania |
| 7. | Bulgaria |
| 8. | Greece |
| 9. | France |
| 9. | Poland |
| 9. | Albania |
| 9. | Yugoslavia |
* 1991 Women's European champions
* Soviet Union 13th title

## Individual awards

* MVP: Irina Ilchenko (URS)
* Best spiker: Henriëtte Weersing (NED)
* Best setter: Marina Pankova (URS)