Our road through this first phase of the championship was full of lessons, a real emotional rollercoaster. Looking back, the points tally shows that we didn’t take the easy route. We dropped precious points against Mosavo and Ciortea, moments when the win should have been ours. But volleyball, like life, punishes you when you’re not 100% present.
Having beaten Academia Pârv twice this season, expectations for the third, decisive match were high, and the atmosphere seemed relaxed. The reality on court was different. The huge stakes took their toll: our girls stepped on court visibly tense, carrying on their shoulders the “fear of making mistakes” and the dread of missing qualification at the very last hurdle.
This pressure quickly turned into an alarming 0-2 score. It was the critical moment when everything seemed lost. But exactly there, on the edge of the abyss, something clicked. The team managed an extremely delicate situation, turning fear into motivation and tension into pure energy.
The conclusion of this journey is a single one: we came out of this experience much stronger. We showed we have the inner resources to get back up when we are down, and that our club’s fighting spirit is more alive than ever
🏐 The heart at the net: Alya, Gloria and Zoe, the outside hitters who refused to lose
If volleyball were a battle, the outside hitters would be the front line of attack. Today our win and qualification for the semi-final tournament bear the signature of three special players, who showed that beyond technique, top performance is written with sacrifice and early courage. When they couldn’t go on, they were helped by Anastasia, Ilinca and Mara. The order is strictly alphabetical!
Alya: the “youngest” with the soul of a giant 🏐🌟
Alya, the youngest in our team, showed once again why age is just a number in performance sport. Although she is the youngest, her maturity in the game and her composure in tense moments made her one of the best players on court.
Alya didn’t just handle the pressure, she shone exactly when the team most needed clarity. She is our “secret weapon” who is no longer a secret at all, but a certainty of tomorrow’s volleyball. Watching Alya attack with such ease is the pure joy of this sport! 😊🙌
Gloria: the outside hitter who knows no fear 🏐✨
Gloria was today the definition of balance on court. As an outside hitter she carried the load on both fronts: precise reception that allowed us to build attacks, and a brave attacking presence. Gloria has that rare ability to stay calm when the tension rises, the player you can always count on to put the ball down at a critical moment. Her team spirit and tactical discipline were pillars of today’s win.✨
Zoe: sacrifice for the team and a character of steel 🏐💪
Those in the stands saw her decisive attacks, but few knew what was hidden behind every jump. Zoe stepped on court today wearing not only her jersey but also a big heart, which allowed her to play with an injury that would have kept anyone else on the bench.
Playing injured, feeling the pain on every landing and still asking for the ball when the score was 0-2 – that’s what being a true leader means. Zoe didn’t just play with her arm, she played with her heart. Every point she won was a defiance of the impossible and a lesson in devotion for all her teammates. ✨
Adela and Maya: the impassable wall at the net 🧱
If on the wings we had fire and speed, in the middle of the net we had an impassable barrier. Today’s qualification was sealed by the defensive and offensive performances of our two middle blockers, Adela and Maya, who turned the middle zone into forbidden territory for the opponents – helped, when needed, by Giulia.
Adela: precision and constant energy 🏐🔥
Adela completed this powerful duo perfectly. With impressive reaction speed, she was always where things were “hottest”, closing attacking lanes and scoring with quick attacks that surprised the opposing defence. The energy she pours out on court is contagious, and her fighting spirit was essential to keep the team’s pace high until the last point. Not to mention her serves at the end, which were accurate and powerful.
Maya: intuition and intelligence 🏐✨
Maya was at the heart of the team’s comeback today. With a natural reading of the game, she anticipated the opponents’ attacks, putting up blocks that cut our rivals’ momentum exactly when the match was swinging back. She scored when she got the ball. She closed out the last 2 sets, when the tension was at its peak. Her presence in the middle gives the team the security you need when you want to build a comeback from 0-2. Maya doesn’t just block balls, she blocks the opponents’ hopes!
Adelina, Noa and Oana: the clear minds behind the victory 🧠
If volleyball is chess played at the speed of light, then Adelina and Noa were the grandmasters of this tournament, and Oana their defender. The setter’s role is the most thankless and at the same time the most spectacular: they are the ones who turn a difficult reception into a perfect set, the “ammunition” the rest of the girls use to break the opposing block. That, of course, after our libero has received the serve.
Adelina: precision and leadership under pressure 🏐✨
Adelina handled the hottest moments with incredible maturity. When the score was 0-2, she was the one who kept calm, distributing the ball with surgical precision. She knew exactly when to use the middle blockers to break the block and when to trust the outside hitters for the finishing blows. She blocked or defended when needed. Her quiet but firm leadership was the team’s compass in moments when it lost its way.
Noa: creativity and game-changing energy 🏐🔥
Noa came on with welcome energy, bringing that element of unpredictability that completely destabilised the opposing defence. With a natural sense of the game, Noa found solutions where others saw only a wall of arms. Her creative spirit and the way she “felt” the team’s pulse were essential to keep the rhythm of our spectacular comeback. Not to mention her serves, which almost always caused panic. 😊🙌
Oana: the libero with silver reflexes 🏐🛡️
If the match was a show, Oana was the defence’s director behind the scenes. In a role that demands total sacrifice, Oana dived for every ball, turning opposing attacks that looked like sure points into chances for us. Her reflexes and the way she organised the defence gave confidence to the whole team. When you have Oana behind you, you know “nothing gets through”, and this security allowed us to take risks and win! 😊🙌 And when she needed a rest, her sister Iulia stepped in successfully!
Such a dramatic qualification wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of every girl in the squad. Volleyball is a team sport in the purest sense of the word, and our “bench” was today an engine of energy and a vital source of talent.
Giulia, Ilinca, Anastasia, Iulia, Mara and Sophia are the girls who showed that we are a team in the true sense of the word. Whether they came on to strengthen the serve, secure the defence or bring that extra enthusiasm at a critical moment, their presence on court was essential. ✨
Anastasia and Giulia came on with remarkable courage, showing that we have solid solutions at any moment of the game. They proved they are a viable option whenever the coach’s strategy and the needs of the game call for them.
Iulia and Ilinca brought balance and freshness exactly when fatigue was starting to set in. Iulia gave Oana a chance to catch her breath, and Ilinca brought energy to the attack, showing they can be solutions for the team at any moment.
Mara and Sophia completed the team’s machinery with determination, always ready to fight for every ball. They grow from match to match, and the leap in quality is visible.
Each of them understood that the group’s success comes above all else, and their joy at the end, after the last point, is the most beautiful proof of our unity. In a fiery month, with tournaments in Italy 🇮🇹 and intense semi-finals, this extended and cohesive squad is our greatest asset! 😊🙌
If today we are talking about a historic qualification and a huge leap in quality, we have to start with the man who drew this road. The remarkable achievement of having three teams qualified for the semi-final tournaments is no accident – it bears the unmistakable mark of our COACH.
With rare ambition and deep knowledge of the game, he managed to instil a winning mentality in the girls, showing that experience gained at the highest level is the compass leading us to the elite. Under his guidance the team grew not only technically but also in spirit. He was the one who knew how to manage crisis moments, to turn the points lost against Mosavo or Ciortea into hard but necessary lessons, and to keep balance when the tension of the match against Pârv seemed to overwhelm us.
This success is, first of all, the victory of a long-term vision that put discipline and passion at the heart of every practice.
The conclusion of this first stage: we have learned to turn defeats into joy. We have learned that 0-2 is just the beginning of a story about ambition. We leave for Italy 🇮🇹 and for the Semi-final Tournaments with one certainty: we are a force, we are a family and, most importantly, we have learned to win together!
We are proud of you, girls! The story continues! 🔴🟡🔵🏐😊🇷🇴
