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Dusty Dvorak
Setter, United States. Dvorak ran the offence for the American team that won Olympic gold in 1984 under coach Doug Beal, a side built on a new two-man serve reception that freed its hitters to attack. His fast, flat sets to the pins and quick middles let that system score from almost any pass, and the US went on to dominate the next four years.
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Peter Blangé
Born
Setter, Netherlands. Blangé was the playmaker of the Dutch team that won Olympic silver in 1992 and gold in Atlanta in 1996, distributing to big hitters such as Ron Zwerver and Bas van de Goor. At just over two metres tall he could set high above the net and also block, which made him a forerunner of the tall setters common today.
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Nikola Grbić
Born
Setter, Yugoslavia and Serbia. Grbić set the Yugoslav team that won Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000, often alongside his brother Vladimir, and was known for unpredictable decisions that kept blockers from committing early. He later became one of the most successful coaches in the sport, which reflects how much of his playing was reading the game.
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Feng Kun
Born
Setter and captain, China. Feng Kun led China to Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, when the team came back from two sets down against Russia in the final, and she was named the tournament's most valuable player, a rare honour for a setter. Her quick combinations with middle blockers gave Chen Zhonghe's side an attack that did not depend on one big hitter.
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Ricardo Garcia (volleyball)
Setter, Brazil. Ricardinho (Ricardo Garcia) was the conductor of Bernardinho's Brazil, the team that won Olympic gold in 2004 and world titles in 2002 and 2006 with a fast, low attack that opponents struggled to block. His jump sets and tempo were the core of that system: Brazil's attackers were not taller than their rivals, they were simply hitting before the block was set.
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Fofão (volleyball player)
Born
Setter, Brazil. Fofão (Hélia Souza) played in five Olympic Games and finally won gold in Beijing in 2008 at 38, when she was also named the tournament's best setter. Her calm, low-error distribution suited Brazil's fast attack, and her longevity, from bronze medals in 1996 and 2000 to that title, shows how much the setter's role rewards experience.
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Lloy Ball
Born
Setter, United States. Ball played in four Olympic Games and, at 36, set the American team that won gold in Beijing in 2008, feeding hitters such as Clay Stanley and Reid Priddy. He spent much of his club career in Italy and Russia, and his precise back sets and willingness to dump the second ball himself kept blockers honest.
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Yoshie Takeshita
Setter, Japan. At 1.59 metres Takeshita was one of the shortest players in international volleyball, and she showed that a setter's value lies in footwork and hands rather than height. Her fast, accurate sets drove Japan's quick, low attack to a World Championship bronze in 2010 and Olympic bronze in London in 2012, Japan's first Olympic medal in women's volleyball for 28 years.
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Sergey Grankin
Born
Setter, Russia. Grankin set the Russian team that won Olympic gold in London in 2012, coming back from two sets and two match points down against Brazil in the final. When coach Vladimir Alekno moved the 2.18-metre Dmitriy Muserskiy from middle blocker to opposite, it was Grankin's high, accurate sets that turned the change into points, and he was a fixture of Russia's strong teams for a decade.
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Bruno Rezende
Setter, Brazil. Bruno, the son of coach Bernardinho, became Brazil's first-choice setter after Ricardinho and set them to Olympic silver in London in 2012 and gold at home in Rio in 2016. His quick, flat distribution kept Brazil's tradition of fast attack alive, and his ability to set accurately from a poor pass made him the steadying presence of a long era.
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Ding Xia
Setter, China. Ding Xia ran Lang Ping's offence when China won Olympic gold in Rio in 2016 and the World Cup in 2019, the job of turning every pass into a good ball for Zhu Ting. Her ability to set high, hittable balls from out of system suited a team built around one of the world's best attackers, and she shows how a setter adapts to the star she serves.
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Maja Ognjenović
Born
Setter, Serbia. Ognjenović was the playmaker of the Serbian team that won the 2018 world title, European titles and Olympic medals in Rio and Tokyo, setting the powerful opposite Tijana Bošković. Her decision-making under pressure and her nerve in feeding her best hitter through tight sets made Serbia the most consistent women's team of that period.
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Luciano De Cecco
Born
Setter, Argentina. De Cecco is a left-handed setter whose creativity and disguised sets have made him a fixture of top Italian clubs, and he set Argentina to a surprise Olympic bronze in Tokyo. Being left-handed lets him attack or tip the second ball from the front row, which forces middle blockers to stay at home and opens space for his hitters.
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Micah Christenson
Born
Setter, United States. Christenson has been the American men's setter for more than a decade, winning Olympic bronze in Rio and Paris. He is known for a quick, low release and for setting the middle more often than most, which keeps opposing blockers from cheating towards outside hitters such as Matt Anderson and TJ DeFalco.
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Benjamin Toniutti
Born
Setter and captain, France. Toniutti, at 1.83 metres short for a modern men's setter, captained France to its first Olympic gold in Tokyo, running a fast, varied attack built on quick sets to the middle and to Earvin N'Gapeth. His accuracy and reading of the block made up for the height he gave away, and France won the title again in Paris.
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Jordyn Poulter
Born
Setter, United States. Poulter set the American women to their first Olympic gold in Tokyo, playing through an ankle injury, and was named the tournament's best setter. Her tall frame and fast tempo to the pins suited Karch Kiraly's balanced attack, which spread points across several hitters rather than relying on one star, and she added Olympic silver in Paris.
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Simone Giannelli
Born
Setter and captain, Italy. Giannelli led Italy to European gold in 2021 and to back-to-back world titles in 2022 and 2025, and was named best setter at both World Championships. Tall enough to block well and quick enough to set from anywhere, he spreads the ball across young attackers such as Alessandro Michieletto, and his choices in tight sets are a lesson in patience.
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Alessia Orro
Setter, Italy. Orro set Italy to the Olympic title in Paris in 2024, the country's first in women's volleyball, and to the 2025 world title, where she was named both best setter and most valuable player. Feeding the opposite Paola Egonu and a strong group of outside hitters, she varies tempo cleverly enough that blockers cannot simply follow the star.
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