Romania has only resisted one set in front of the world leader! After 43 years, encouraging debut at the World Volleyball Championship

The “tricolors” started on Saturday in Group B of the World Championship, a group of Poland, Qatar and the Netherlands. The Romanian team debuted with a difficult match against Poland, a formation ranked first in the world hierarchy.

Poland, too strong for Romania at the World Championship in the Philippines

Lacking pressure and thinking about the great victories obtained at the European Volleyball Championship, Romania played excellent in the inaugural set of confrontation with Poland. The tricolors took advantage of the world leadership mistakes and drove it for a long time, ensuring a few set balls. Poland resisted, however, at the end of extremely tense extensions he managed to adjudicate his inaugural set: 34-32.

There followed a second set in which Sergiu Stancu's students made several mistakes and did not keep up with their powerful opponents. The coach of Romania requested two time-outs, at 2-5 and at 8-15, and tried to encourage their players, but the Poles were much stronger and assertive.

Nikola Grbic's band led both in the second set and in the third set and, finally, imposed 3-0 (34-32, 25-15, 25-19), starting with the current edition of the World Volleyball Championship. Instead, Romania must remain with the memory of the first set and regroup quickly to be prepared by the confrontations with the Netherlands and Qatar.

The leaders of the tricolors were Aciobăniței (11 points), Peța (9 points) and Bălean (6 points). On the other side, Leon (14 points), Kurek (13 points) and Fornal (10 points) were noted.

FINAL. Poland-Romania 3-0 (34-32, 25-15, 25-19)

The end of set three. 25-19 for Poland.
Romania was no longer dominated as clear as in the second set and achieved some very good points, taking advantage of a more efficient service. However, Nikola Grbic's national team respected and closed the match in 3 sets.

It's a pity because I think I played well in the first set. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes that a team like this will punish. It's a shame. We need to raise our game level. We can expect some changes

– Sergiu Stancu, after the second set

The end of the second set. 25-15 for Poland.
After, in the first set, Romania kept close to the world leader, in the second sequence it showed its value, raised its level and took advantage of our mistakes. Stancu asked for two time-outs and tried to encourage his players, but Poland dominated and is a set of first victory at the World Championship.

The end of the first set. 34-32 for Poland.
Spectacular duel in Quezon City, Philippines, between Poland and Romania. Sergiu Stancu's tricolors made an excellent first set against the main favorites and had numerous set balls. After a temporary joy, ended with the revision of a phase, Poland returned and awarded its inaugural set with a lucky service.

32 teamsparticipate in the CM of the Philippines for the first time in the history of this competition

The World Championship groups in the Philippines

• Group A: Philippines, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia

• Group B: Poland, Romania, Qatar, Romania

• Group C: France, Argentina, Finland, South Korea

• Group D: USA, Cuba, Portugal, Colombia

• Group E: Slovenia, Germany, Bulgaria, Chile

• Group F: Italy, Ukraine, Belgium, Algeria

• Group G: Japan, Canada, Turkey, Libya

• Group H: Brazil, Serbia, Czech Republic, China

The objective of the national trained by Sergiu Stancu is the qualification in the finals, and for this there is a need for a ranking between the first two places. “We had a period of accommodation for three to four days, it is complicated with this time zone, but it is good that we had time to do it. Anything is possible in the match with Poland, I think we will go out of this group,” said Daniel Chiţigoi, 20 years old, the youngest component of the national team, in a statement for FRV.

Romania's lot for the World Championship

• Lifting: 3. Filip Constantin; 6. Claudiu Dumitru; 14. Sebastian Bratu

• Center: 1. Bela Bartha; 10. Tudor Magdaș; 15. Andrei Butnaru; 19. Codrin Mocanu; 22. Ștefan Lupu

• Extreme: 2. Micea Peța; 9. Adrian Aciobăniței; 12. Marian Bala; 99. Daniel Chiţigoi

• Opposite: 7. Rareș Bălean; 28. Alexandru Ionescu

• Libero: 11. Carol Kosinski; 17. Vlad Kantor

The male national has some effective problems, Alexandru Rață, one of the best triclori players at EC 2023, where Romania ranked in the eighth position, did not move due to an injury.

Advantageous program for Romania

The following parties for Romania will take place on September 15, from 1:00 pm, against the Netherlands, and on September 17, from 05:30, against Qatar. “I think it benefits our program, the fact that we meet Poland, which occupies the 1st place in the world ranking. Because the Thracian and the emotions inherent at the beginning of the competition will have them in that first match, and from there any good evolution will give us confidence.

The Netherlands is a team with top players, but I think we can overcome it. And Qatar may seem like an exotic team, but it has 5 naturalized players, 4 of the former Yugoslavia and 1 in Brazil. So it is not a team that we do not notice, ”said Sergiu Stancu, the coach of Romania, before leaving for the Philippines.

In 1982, at the World Championship in Argentina, Romania ranked 15th, after a 3-2 success against France.

The previous edition of the World Championship took place in 2022, in Slovenia and Poland, with 24 teams at the beginning, on the podium climbing Italy, Poland and Brazil.