Israel Women's National Volleyball Team

The team's modern history has been shaped by two periods under Arie Selinger: the top-eight European finishes of the late 1960s and a rebuilding program begun in 2007.[1][3] The latter produced a European League final-four appearance in 2010 and a return to the European Championship in 2011.[4][5] Israel reached the European League final four again in 2015 and continued competing in European qualifying and Silver League play into 2025.[6][7]

At the 1967 European Championship, Israel advanced from its opening group by defeating host Turkey 3–1 in a deciding match before thousands of spectators.[2] Objects were thrown at the Israeli players, who had traveled without a security escort shortly after the Six-Day War.[2] Israel ultimately finished eighth, then the team's highest achievement.[1]

Arie Selinger — whose surname is also transliterated as Zelinger — coached the Israeli women's team during this period.[1] Under his leadership, the team also reached eighth place at the 1969 European Championship before he left Israel to study coaching and sports science in the United States.[8] He later described his return to Israel as fulfilling a promise to help advance the country's volleyball program.[8]

Following Selinger's departure, Israel did not appear at the European Championship again until 2011, its first participation in the tournament since 1971.[5]

Selinger took charge of the team again in June 2007, launching what became known as the Selinger project — a rebuilding program financed by the Olympic Committee of Israel, the Israel Volleyball Association, and an anonymous donor.[3] He selected 22 players and installed a demanding regimen of four hours of training a day, six days a week.[3] In 2010, Selinger described the starting point as having been “from zero” and emphasized that his focus was on where the team would be in three years.[3]

By 2011, the project had secured a sponsor that allowed Selinger to pay the players and provide broader resources.[9] He also described a top-down development strategy in which a strong national team would attract younger girls to volleyball and help expand the sport's competitive base.[8] The team's 38-year-old captain in 2011 was Tatjana Frage, also identified in reports as Tania Frage.[9]

In July 2010, the team reached the final four of the CEV European League in Ankara, Turkey — its first appearance in the final phase of a European competition in 43 years.[4] In the semifinal, Israel fell to Serbia 3–0 (20–25, 12–25, 21–25), then lost the third-place match to host Turkey 3–0 (19–25, 23–25, 15–25) to finish fourth overall.[4] Selinger said the team had performed better against Spain and Greece during the qualifying stage and that its primary objective remained qualification for the European Championship.[4]

Israel achieved that goal in 2011, qualifying through a playoff and ending a 40-year absence from the tournament.[10][11] The starting lineup for the opening match against Poland in Zrenjanin, Serbia, included Frage, Ron Ponti, Anna Wisotsky, Tali Artemenko, Anya Viliki, and Anna Farhi, with Adva Zinober serving as libero.[5] Israel lost 3–0, with set scores of 23–25, 7–25, and 15–25. The team stayed competitive through the first set, drawing level at 15–15, but struggled in the following two.[5] Selinger praised the first set but said the team had failed to sustain its level in the second and third.[5]

During the 2012 European Championship qualifying campaign, the team opened with a notable 3–2 victory over Spain — then ranked 41st in the world, while Israel was ranked 50th.[10] The squad combined younger players with experienced members including Galit Dvash, Ron Ponti, Tali Artenko, Anya Viliki, and Adva Zinober. Viliki was named the match's outstanding attacker, and Selinger called the victory “sweet” after saying he had expected Israel to lose 3–2.[10] A subsequent 3–1 loss to Slovakia ended the team's chances of qualifying directly as group winner, though a playoff place remained possible if Israel beat Spain in its final group match.[12]

In 2015, Israel secured a place in the European League Final Four with a dramatic 3–2 win over Greece in Ra'anana, having lost to the same opponent 3–0 the previous day.[6] Israel finished the regular season fourth with 14 points and was set to face Turkey in a two-leg semifinal.[6] Moran Tzur led the team's scoring with 34 points in the clinching match, while Galit Dvash and Sophie Starikov each contributed 13.[6]

During the 2024 qualifying cycle for the 2026 European Championship, Galit Dvash served as team captain. The squad included Tali Hkas, Ella Saada, Polina Malik, Marcela Correa, Katrina Zilberman, Amit Kimel, Tali Merman, Valeria Gmanovich, Eve Kirnshaum, Adi Bockman, and Shirel Janah. Luka Skee was listed as head coach, with Ziv Shemesh and Robert Perlov as assistants; Perlov also served as team manager.[13]

In June 2025, Israel recorded a 3–0 win over Iceland in the Silver League in Switzerland, earning its second victory in the competition and reaching third place in the standings at that stage.[7] Valeria Gmanovich led the scoring with 21 points, while Tali Hkas, Ella Saada, and Galit Dvash each added nine.[7]

The Selinger project was oriented from the outset toward European qualification and eventual Olympic participation.[9] Selinger's wider development strategy sought to build a successful senior team that could draw younger Israeli players into competitive volleyball.[8]

In January 2026, former player Anya Viliki was appointed head coach of the national team.[14] Viliki described the appointment as a return to a team that had been her home as a player. She identified team cohesion, a clear playing identity, and commitment as her immediate priorities.[14] Her longer-term aim was a competitive, deep squad capable of inspiring the next generation of Israeli volleyball players.[14]

The team has on several occasions competed under conditions shaped by political tensions surrounding Israel.

At the 1967 European Championship in Turkey, played shortly after the Six-Day War, the Israeli players traveled without a security escort and faced a hostile crowd, with objects thrown at them during their match against host Turkey.[2] Advancing to the tournament's final eight despite those conditions gave the result added historical resonance.

In July 2010, a European League match against Serbia in Ankara took place under heavy security and was closed to the public. Police blocked roads around the 7,000-seat venue, while Israeli security officials guarded the players, who traveled by bus with tinted windows.[15] The hall was almost empty.[15] The World Jewish Congress report said demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and posters of Furkan Dogan, one of nine activists killed during the Israeli Navy's raid on a Turkish vessel attempting to break the Gaza maritime blockade.[15] Demonstrators were quoted as shouting at police: “Don't be dogs of Zionism. God will hold you to account.”[15] Israel lost the match 3–0.

In August 2025, Israel lost 3–0 to Slovenia in a European Championship qualifier played in North Macedonia, where Israel was hosting its matches.[16] Slovenia's players did not shake hands with their Israeli counterparts before or after the match. The Israeli delegation filed a complaint with the match commissioner, who recorded the incident.[16] Captain Galit Dvash said the team was focused on its next match against Estonia.[16]