A heavy favourite was team Italy, who won the last three World Championships and the European title in 1995 and 1999, but they had yet to win an Olympic gold medal.

In the semifinals, Serbia & Montenegro (Yugoslavia), runners-up at the 1998 Worlds, and bronze medalists at the 1999 Europeans, triumphed in straight sets, again denying Italy an Olympic gold medal.

Two years later, at the European Championships held in Paris, the women's volleyball team of Yugoslavia won the bronze medal for the first time.

The Serbian team in the last match of the final group defeated Bulgaria in the crowded hall of "Pioneer" in Belgrade and won the bronze medal.

[10] Head coach: Igor Kolaković[11] The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Serbia national volleyball team.