Another extremely interesting and competitive match took place in Craiova. As we expected, it's never safe to relax against Rapid, and the Oltenians, who crushed Steaua in Bucharest in the last round, experienced this firsthand. They were defeated at home by Rapid with a score of 2:3 (25-23, 27-29, 25-13, 22-25, 16-14), which puts them at risk of losing third place at the end of the regular season. Now Craiova must await the result of the clash between Zalău and Arcada at the end of the week, which will determine if they retain their position. If the "hammers" from Arcada win, they will displace Craiova from third place, which provides an easier opponent for the playoffs.

Dulchev had an off day, heroic performances by Mocanu and Wagner

The star attacker of the hosts, Dulchev, was far from his usual efficiency and was substituted in the second set after scoring only 4 points. This seriously affected the attacking power of the hosts. Besides him, Dukic also had a disappointing performance, leaving the game in the third set with "only" 11 points.Setter Svetoslav Stankov performed far above expectations, finishing with more points than his compatriot – 10 points (3 blocks), but even this did not help for the win.

On the other pole was the Rapid team, which showed character and consistency to snatch a valuable victory. The main drivers of success were Wagner, who scored 22 points and was once again a major threat in attack, as well as Codrin Mocanu, who made a total of 6 blocks, becoming a wall in front of the opposing attackers. They were joined by Coltîn Liu with 18 points and Petr Sulista with 15 points, further cementing Rapid's dominance.

Important victory for Rapid, Craiova under pressure

This success is extremely significant for Rapid not only from a standings perspective but also from a morale standpoint. With the two points earned, they reached a total of 26, tying with Baia Mare Explorations but having one more victory. With identical results in the final round, the "Rapidists" will finish in seventh place.

On the other hand, Craiova is in a difficult situation. Having lost valuable points, their fate is no longer in their hands. The club's proteges must hope for a favorable result from the match in Zalău (the hosts from Zalău must win, editor's note) to retain their place in the top 3 before the playoffs.

One thing is certain – the battle in the Romanian championship is becoming increasingly tense, and performance in crucial moments will be key for the final standings!