CSO Voluntari eliminates Alba Blaj and goes to the CEV Cup semifinals! Double victory in the Romanian “quarter”.
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Wednesday, February 25, 2026 21:00 / Updated Wednesday, February 25, 2026 21:08
Important performance for the women's team CSO Voluntari, who qualified for the CEV Cup semifinals, after defeating CSM Volei Alba Blaj again. In the second leg played in the “Sala Polivalentă” in Bucharest, Ilfovence won 3-1 in sets (25-23, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20), at the end of a solid match, mostly controlled by the hosts.
After the surprising success in the tour, 3-1 in Blaj, Voluntari repeated the scenario at home.
Two wins in 7 days for CSO Voluntari
The first set was balanced, decided at the limit, 25-23. In the second act, CSO clearly dominated and won by six points difference (25-17), the biggest margin of the game.
Blajul reacted in the third set, which it won 25-22, although Voluntari had led at the start. In the fourth set, however, the team from Ilfov managed the end better and prevailed 25-20, obtaining the qualification in the penultimate act of the competition.
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In the CEV Cup, qualification is decided in a double leg, and in case of a tie in wins and points, a “Golden Set” is played up to 15. This time, Voluntari did not need an extra set.
Next up are Galatasaray in the semi-finals of the competition
In the semifinals, CSO Voluntari will meet Galatasaray, a team that got past Levallois Paris Saint-Cloud, from France. The double leg is scheduled from March 10 to April 8, 2026.
The other semi-final will be decided between Mulhous (France)/Dresdner (Germany) and Chieri (Italy)/Budowlani Lodz (Poland).
Blaj, finalist in the previous edition
For Alba Blaj, the elimination comes after a consistent European course in recent years. The Ardennes were finalists in the previous edition of the CEV Cup and played in five European finals in the last eight years, but without a trophy. Domestically, Blaj has won eight titles in the last 11 seasons in the domestic championship.
For CSO Voluntari, the return success represents the 12th consecutive victory in all competitions and confirms the excellent form of the team that was the champion of Romania in the 2023/2024 season and won the Supercup in the fall of 2025, even against Transylvania.
