🏐 The Sibiu semi-final: a lesson in maturing under pressure for the cadets

We started the tournament on the right foot, with a solid win over Pro Volei Arad (3-0), a match in which the girls controlled the pace and showed remarkable tactical confidence.

The real test came against the hosts, ACS Champions Sibiu, medallists at the last edition of the championship. The start was simply magnificent. The first set, which we won, was a display of strength and technique, a quality spectacle comparable to senior matches. Unfortunately, the intensity of that set used up huge mental resources, and the drop in the next three sets reminded us how fragile consistency can be at this level.

The disorientation was also felt in the last match of the tournament. Although the team showed signs of a comeback, fighting all the way to 24-26 in the last set, qualification among the country’s top 12 teams slipped through our fingers. It’s a harsh reality, but a necessary one for our technical analysis.

Although the level of play shown in many moments is elite, we are left with the challenge of the “inexplicable drops”, something we also saw at the tournament in Italy. Our post-tournament analysis focuses on a few key points:

1. Cohesion takes time: we are a team formed only 9 months ago. Building playing relationships and, above all, mutual trust in moments of crisis can’t happen overnight.

2. Handling difficult moments: the difference between us and the medal-winning teams isn’t necessarily the quality of execution, but the ability to stay “connected” after a lost set or a mistake.

3. The need for tough matches: this team needs as many high-pressure matches as possible to learn how to turn “drops” into comeback points.

We leave Sibiu with our heads held high. We showed we can dominate top opponents, and now we know exactly where we still need to work. We are a young, talented and determined group. Our journey continues, and every experience like this is a brick in the foundation of future success. 

If we look at the numbers, the leap is spectacular: in just 9 months a newly formed team has come to compete on equal terms with Romania’s elite and to play opening matches at world cups. But behind these numbers lies a working method brought from the highest European level. Branko Gajić isn’t just our coach; he’s the leader who changed the club’s DNA.

With vast experience in elite leagues (including with national teams), Branko brought to Volleyball Forever a rare standard of professionalism. The jump in quality didn’t come from luck, but from rigorous tactical discipline.

Under his guidance, the girls don’t just learn to hit the ball, they learn to “read” the game. That spark in the first set against Champions Sibiu or the strategic win against Italy at the Cornacchia World Cup are the direct result of practices where detail makes the difference. Branko has implemented a vision in which volleyball is treated like speed chess: intelligence, positioning and reaction.

Branko’s big challenge was to forge a mixed group in record time. Those “9 months” were an intensive course in maturity. He understood that to reach the level of a great team it isn’t enough to have 6 or 7 good players – you need a single, unified mechanism.

Although we are still learning to manage the “mental drops” that follow our peak moments, Branko is the one who provides balance. His ability to manage crisis moments (like the spectacular comeback in the quarter-finals in Italy or the third set in Sibiu) shows high-class sports teaching.

Today Volleyball Forever is no longer just a private club that “takes part”. It’s a club that dominates, commands respect and plays modern, fast and spectacular volleyball. The U15 qualification for Semi-final 2 and the cadets’ run are just the first milestones of a long-term vision.

We are honoured to have at the helm a coach who knows that pure performance comes from “work and intelligence”. Under Branko Gajić, the club’s future isn’t just promising – it’s already here.

The Cornacchia World Cup strengthened our group’s cohesion. The Sibiu tournament showed us we can compete with anyone, and if we believe in ourselves we will go far. We return to Cluj more united, aware of our potential but also of the huge work ahead. We are not yet at the level of the Russian “machine”, we are close to the strong teams in Romania, but we have learned that with tactical intelligence and an iron mentality the gap to the elite shrinks with every practice.

It was a tournament about volleyball, but above all about character. We move forward, stronger and, above all, more aware of our strength when we are truly a TEAM! 🏔️🏐

We are proud of you, girls! The story continues! 🔴🟡🔵🏐😊🇷🇴