“Strengthen the team unit” – the men’s volleyball team of Semmelweis University

The Semmelweis University men’s volleyball team traveled to Pécs as defending champion of the Medic’s Cup, as it had won the last tournament in Szeged.

“We always played great matches, but we were one or two points behind the first place – but last year we finally managed to win. This is mainly due to the arrival of new people to the team, who are not only great players individually, but also strengthen the team unit. There is a harmony between us, a great communication on and off the field, which is not even common in professional clubs,” explained team captain Dominik Varga.

“Last year, we won in Szeged after the University of Debrecen team beat us. But in the last months we have improved a lot, we have done the training together and the team has come together. This is shown by the fact that we won the Medic’s Cup without losing a set,” said player-coach Dr. Dániel Teréki. 

The harmony between the two of them is also shown by the fact that they highlighted the same moment from this year’s competition: in the match against the University of Debrecen, they managed to score with three brilliant touches in a row, and the whole team rushed together burst with joy. As they said, it was a perfect symbol not only of team unity, but of the Medic’s Cup as a whole.

The team is trained together in a similar harmony. Dr. Dániel Teréki graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry (FOK) last year and has been involved in training and matches as a player-coach since then. He played for several years at the second division (NB II), participated in national team training camps and played volleyball for the University of Physical Education and the Pénzügyőr team in the first division (NB I). “I started my studies at Semmelweis University in 2016 and quickly joined the university sports scene. I took over the team from the captain in 2017 and handed over the position to Dominik last year,” he recalls.

Dominik Varga is currently a fourth-year student at FOK, and as team captain he is also involved in the coaching. He has been playing sports since 2009, having played in all the youth divisions, then in the first division of Budapest, and for MAFC in the NB I, and was also a member of the U19 national team.

“The players know their tasks, we are a well-oiled machine where the different parts of the team are constantly communicating with each other. For example, when time is called, everyone has an observation or comment, and with the help of these, we can constantly make the game more and more effective,” said Dr. Dániel Teréki.

Dominik Varga added: the team members are among the best individually, but team spirit was indispensable to win the Medic’s Cup. “Our number one setter, Dániel Barabás, was unable to participate in the tournament, but our number two setter, first-year Örs Szalai, played a great game and was absolutely up to the task. Our center, Dr. Kristóf Németh, was injured during one of the games, but he took part in the game and gave one of the best performances of his life,” he said, adding that they are very grateful to the university administration, especially to Rector Dr. Béla Merkely and Kornélia Várszegi, Director of the Centre for Physical Education and Sports, as well as the fans for their support, which was essential for the success.

Gallery

6images

Due to the postponement caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the team competes for the first time this year at the Hungarian University – College National Championships (MEFOB), where they are hoping to achieve the best possible results. They also have plans to turn the university team into an association and compete in the Budapest championships next year. They will also have a similar challenge at the next 50th Medic’s Cup, hosted by Semmelweis University, where they aim to defend their title by winning the tournament. They are also looking for qualified players to join the team to achieve this together.