The 5th edition of the international “Virgi Mărculescu” Memorial U19 tournament (played on Sunday, 13 September 2026, at the “Bihorul” Sports High School in Oradea) was an excellent early-autumn barometer for our girls. Six strong teams took part: LPS Bihorul, CSS Zalău, ACS Champions Sibiu, Volleyball Forever Cluj, together with guests from Serbia — OK Kikinda and OK “KI 0230” Kikinda.
A tight final and valuable lessons for the future
After the group matches and an intense semi-final against LPS Oradea, our girls earned their ticket to the final, where they met their rivals ACS Champions Sibiu again.
It was a hard-fought, fast-paced match in which the Sibiu players were more clear-headed in the critical moments of the sets and took the trophy. Although losing the final leaves a slightly bitter taste, 2nd place is a true reflection of where our preparation stands: we showed moments of high-class volleyball, but also areas we need to work on, especially consistency and handling pressure on the big points. We are getting closer and closer to Sibiu, a benchmark in Romania, and we hope that next year, in the semi-final tournaments, we will manage to beat them.
Our players’ solid performances were noticed and rewarded at the awards ceremony. Volleyball Forever won three very important individual awards in the U19 tournament:
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🏆 Best outside hitter: recognition for Zoe‘s commitment in the back row and her efficiency in attack
🏆 Best opposite: trophy and diploma awarded to Ilinca for her ability to finish the hard moments of the game
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🏆 Best middle blocker: a well-deserved award for Maya‘s speed at the block and her decisive attacks at the net
Feet on the ground before the championship
The Oradea tournament shows that we are on the right track, but it also reminds us that the level of competition this season will be very high. Second place and the three individual awards give us confidence, but the real work continues in training!
Preparation continues on every front!
Our preparation doesn’t stop here. In the coming period the court will be busy with every generation of our club: a series of friendly tournaments is coming up for our mini-volleyball, U15 and U17 cadet teams. It’s the younger Volleyball Forever players’ turn to get into match rhythm, gain competitive experience and show their passion at the net before the first whistle of the official matches! 💜💜💜🏐
Congratulations to the girls for their effort and thank you to the organisers for a very successful tournament! Come on Volleyball Forever!!!💜💜💜
