The setter is the hardest and the most important position in volleyball. He needs to have contact with a ball in almost every action. This position is often underrated, so in this post, I will show you the 10 best volleyball men’s setters in the world.
Best volleyball setters in the world
- Bruno Rezende
- Simone Gianelli
- Micah Christenson
- Sa’id Maruf
- Benjamin Toniutii
- Luciano De Cecco
- Aleksandr Butko
- Lukas Kampa
- Fabian Drzyzga
- Nikola Jovović
1. Bruno Rezende
Nationality: Brazil
Born: 2 July 1986
Height: 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
It’s not much of a surprise that Bruno Rezende is the best volleyball setter. He was also in the ranking of the best volleyball players. On which position? Find it out here.
He’s an experienced player who led his national team of Brazil to 9 gold medals in the important championships including the Olympic Games in 2016. Setters are often called the brains of the team. Apparently, Bruno is the smartest brain in the world. He observes what’s going on the opponent’s side and sets the balls that are relatively easy for his teammate to score a point. His experience is priceless for his club and the national team. He has a number of individual awards, the latest one from the Club World Cup in 2019. Rezende has 14 championships won with his Brazilian and Italian clubs.
Hands down, he can be easily considered as one of the legends of the Brazilian volleyball.
2. Simone Gianelli
Nationality: Italy
Born: 9 August 1996
Height: 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
The Italians should be proud of him. He is still pretty young, and some experts say in a few years from now, he’s going to be the best volleyball setter. If he keeps working hard, it’s likely to happen. For a setter, he is quite tall (200 cm= 6.56 ft). That makes him a good setter, but even a better blocker. The world heard about him for the first time in 2015 when he was chosen the best setter in the European Championships. He was 19 years old back then. Since that time, he’s winning various individual awards almost every year. Gianelli is priceless for the Italian National team and with him, this team has a chance to win the first gold medal since 2005.
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3. Micah Christenson
Nationality: USA
Born: May 8, 1993
Height:1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Micah Christenson has been known in the volleyball environment for years. He was starting out in his college team, and he was quickly noticed by the big European clubs. His beginnings were tough, but he quickly became the first player of Lube Civitanova and then Modena Volley. Before he started his career in Europe, he had had a great World Cup appearance, and he was the best setter of this tournament. Christenson began playing club volleyball in 2005. He also played basketball and was two time Gatorade Player of the year in Hawai’i. I think he hasn’t shown his full potential yet, and he can be even better.
4. Sa’id Maruf
Nationality: Iran
Born: October 20, 1985
Height: 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
He’s the kind of player who changes his team very often. Throughout all of his career, he has played in 14 clubs. Fortunately, his form is still stable. Maruf for sure will not be the legend of any club, but he will be the legend of the Iranian national team. When you think about Iran in volleyball, he’s probably one of the first names that come to your mind. His abilities to set the ball to the right player at the right time are fantastic and his good setting decisions are helpful for outside hitters, opposite hitters, and middle blockers.
Read it: 10 Best Volleyball Players of All Time (Giba, Giani, Bernardi, Etc.)
5. Benjamin Toniutii
Nationality: France
Born: 30 October 1989
Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Toniutti for years is the leading player of the French national team and his club ZAKSA Kedzierzyn- Kozle. With France, he has won a couple of gold medals, but he doesn’t have the most important ones in the Olympic Games and the World Championships. He’s pretty successful with the Polish team, but he also wasn’t able to win any international tournament with ZAKSA. He’s still in great form. In 2019, he got an award for being the best setter in the European Championship. He’s an important player in France, but I think his talent is in the shadow of Earvin N’Gapeth.
6. Luciano De Cecco
Nationality: Argentina
Born: June 2, 1988
Height: 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
De Cecco is the leading player of the Argentinian national team for at least 10 years. He has reached for a gold medal with Argentina once in the Pan American Games. It’s not so easy to be the best setter in the tournaments where your team doesn’t do well. But De Cecco was able to win this award in the World Cup in 2011. He seems to be better off with his clubs. In 2017 his team Perugia was the runner-up of the Champions League. Although De Cecco is a gifted player, he might feel unfulfilled, but he’s still playing, and he still has a chance to win some important trophy.
7. Aleksandr Butko
Nationality: Russia
Born: March 18, 1986
Height: 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Butko is the guy who has spent all of his career in Russia. Since 2001 he has played for 5 Russian clubs, and he was quite successful. He was the part of the legendary Zenit Kazan that won the Champions League 3 times in a row from 2016 until 2018. He was often the leading player of his teams. Butko won 3 gold medals with the Russian national team, but he wasn’t always the first choice of the Russian coach. He had to compete with Sergey Grankin, but this competition has only made him a better player. Is Russia in the top 3 men’s volleyball teams in the world? Find it out here.
8. Lukas Kampa
Nationality: Germany
Born: 29 November 1986
Height: 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Lukas Kampa comes from a sporty family. His parents and brother were volleyball players. Lukas didn’t have any other choice, and he also decided to play volleyball. And he has made a great decision. He is one of the best German setters of all time, and he has contributed to many good appearances of the German national team. For example, in 2014 Germany was third in the World Championship, and he was the best setter of this tournament. Kampa’s great cooperation with Grozer was spectacular back then. He used to play for great European clubs, and he has the most achievements with German and Polish.
Read it: Top 7 Tallest Volleyball Players in the World. It’s not Musersky…
9. Fabian Drzyzga
Nationality: Poland
Born: 3 January 1990
Height: 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Drzyzga is another player who is the son of the former volleyball player. He inherited his talent after Wojciech Drzyzga. Fabian plays for almost all the time in the Polish clubs where he feels the best. He has many trophies, but the most important ones are with the Polish national team. He won the World Championship 2 times in a row in 2014 and 2018, and he was the leading player. His biggest achievement is an award of the best setter of the Champions League in 2015.
10. Nikola Jovović
Nationality: Serbia
Born: 13 February 1992
Height: 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Jovocić is the player who is able to turn any team around. He is the key player of the Serbian national team and cooperates well with the stars such as Srecko Lisinac or Alaksandar Atanasijevic. In total, Jovović owns 19 medals, which is significant. He was the most successful with the German club VFB Friedrischafen. Is this club among the best clubs in the world? Find it out here. Every team would like to have Jovovcić, but now he is the player of the Russian Ural Ufa.
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