Romania’s Women’s National Volleyball Team Wins All Three Friendlies Against Finland in Blaj

Romania’s women’s national volleyball team played three friendly matches against Finland in Blaj — and won them all. The team now enters the final stretch of preparations for the 2026 CEV European Championship qualifiers.

On Wednesday, Romania secured a 3–1 victory (27-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-19) in the only match played in front of fans. Head coach Guillermo Naranjo Hernandez used his starting lineup, with Adelina Ungureanu delivering a stellar performance: 31 points (26 from attacks, 4 service points, and 1 ace). For Finland, Suvi Kokkonen stood out — unsurprisingly so. She is well known to Romanian fans after her strong season with CSO Voluntari, where she was one of the top players in both the league and Romanian Cup finals. She scored 20 points.

Romania’s lineup: A. Ungureanu 31p (+17), Ariton 14p (+12), Buterez 14p (7), Cheluță 10p (+3), Grama 4p (+3), Axinte 3p (+1), Miclăuș 1p (+1), Zadorojnai 1p (-1), Vereș (libero, -1).
Coach: Guillermo Naranjo Hernandez

Second Match: 3–1 Win and a Historic Debut for 14-Year-Old Bianca Cucu

The second match took place on Thursday behind closed doors. Romania fielded players who didn’t appear in the first game and earned another victory, 3–1 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20, 13-25). As shown by the scores, the teams played an additional fourth set after the initial three, as friendlies are more about testing players than final scores.

Iuna Zadorojnai and Gabriela Bălae each scored 13 points, leading the team. One of the biggest highlights, however, was the debut of Bianca Cucu, just 14 years old, who appeared in the fourth set and managed to score 3 points — all from attacks. It remains unclear whether this match will count in official stats due to the extra set, but what matters most is the trust placed in the young player and the invaluable experience she gained with the senior team.

Romania’s lineup: Zadorojnai 13p (+8), Bălae 13p (+2), T. Cristea 11p (+8), Miclăuș 7p (+1), R. Ioan 5p (+1), C. Radu 3p (+3), Cucu 3p (0), M. Cristea (libero, 0)

Third Match: Mixed Format, Another Win

The third and final friendly was held on Friday. The coaching staffs from both sides agreed to play three standard sets and one shortened set. According to FR Volei, Romania won the “regular” match 2–1 but dropped the shortened fourth set.

Focus Shifts to European Championship Qualifiers

With the friendlies behind them, Romania is now fully focused on the 2026 EuroVolley qualifiers. The first match is scheduled for August 2 in Kosovo, followed by a home game in Blaj on August 6, against Croatia. One win from these two matches would be enough to mathematically secure a spot at next year’s final tournament.

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