CSO Voluntari, qualification with emotions in the play-off of the CEV Cup, after the golden set!
Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Thursday, 15 January 2026 21:37 / Updated on Thursday, 15 January 2026 21:37
The women's team CSO Voluntari prevailed 3-0 (25-23, 30-28, 25-23) in front of their opponents from VfB SUHL Thuringen in the return of the “eights” of the CEV Cup, but they needed the golden set, won 15-10, to go to the play-offs. In the round they lost 1-3 away (25-23, 18-25, 18-25, 20-25).
CSO Volunteers managed to return to the “eighties” double with the German team VfB SUHL Thuringia and achieve a thrilling qualification to the play-offs of the CEV Cup, the second most valuable continental competition.
They had a thorn in their side because in the tour game, on January 7, they had lost in the Sporthalle Wolfsgrube in Suhl with 1-3. They needed a 3-0 victory in Bucharest's Sala Polivalenta to be able to claim the golden set and force their way to the next stage.
And they succeeded – not without emotions. 25-23 in the first set, but the second had the biggest load of pressure, of stress. It went into extra time, after a missed first chance at 24-23, but everything was played at 27-28, when the Germans had, in turn, a set point. After one 30-28 heroically, they won with 25-23 the third part and they reached the gold set.
One they controlled, managing to keep their opponents at bay. 15-10redeeming score, which sends the Voluntari volleyball players to the play-offs.
For Volunteers, Nicholas van de Vosse managed 20 points, Georgiana Popa and Nikola Radosova – 16, Sabrina Starks – 11.
The team from Poland is waiting there Moya Radomka Radom, which qualified similarly to the Romanian team: it lost on its field Mladest Zagreb (Croatia), 1-3, then won at home, 3-0 and 22-20 in the golden set.
The play-off round match is scheduled for January 27, in Radom, with the second leg to be played in Bucharest.
Alba Blaj, the fourth defeat in group A of the Champions League
Phase of the match VakifBank Istanbul – Alba Blaj Photo: CEV
Wednesday, January 14, CS Volei Alba Blaj suffered their fourth defeat in as many Champions League Group A games, 0-3 (19-25, 13-25, 20-25) to the Turkish side VakifBank Istanbulsix-time winner in the most important continental competition – most recently in 2023.
The main achievers of the game were from the winner, the Russian Marina Markova – 15 points, Tijana Boskovic (Serbia) – 13 and Helena Cazaute (France) – 12. They stood out from Alba Ana Escamilla – 9 points, Drussyla Felix Costa and Evilania Martinez Luiz – 7 points each.
The match, which lasted 68 minutes, was played at Vakifbank Spor Sarayi in Istanbul. In the round match, played at the beginning of December 2025, from Blaj, the Turkish team won 3-1.
In the other disputes, the Transylvanian team lost 0-3 to the Italians from Savino Del Bene Scandicci, in Florence, and 1-3 against Volero Le Cannet, also away. The next match for Alba will be on January 28, at home, against Scandicci.
In the Challenge Cup, the volleyball players from CSM Lugoj they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals. They lost the round match on January 7, 0-3 (-17, -16, -20) against the Slovenian team Gen-I Volley Nova Goricaon the road, and on Wednesday, January 14, they prevailed at home with 3-2 (25-20, 25-27, 25-23, 21-25, 15-10), in the IK Ghermănescu hall, an insufficient score to progress to the next phase.
