OK Maribor

Last updated
i-Vent Maribor
OK Maribor.png
Full nameOdbojkarski klub i-Vent Maribor
Founded14 June 1945;78 years ago (14 June 1945) [1]
Ground Tabor Hall
Maribor, Slovenia
(Capacity: 3,261)
ChairmanMiha Kravanja
ManagerSebastijan Škorc
CaptainŽiga Donik
League Slovenian Volleyball League
2023−24Regular season: 3rd
Playoffs: Third place
Website Club home page
Uniforms
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Kit body.svg
Kit short right arm.png
Kit shorts.svg
Home
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Kit body.svg
Kit short right arm.png
Kit shorts.svg
Away
Championships
1992, 1993, 2021

Odbojkarski klub Maribor (English: Maribor Volleyball Club) or simply OK Maribor, known as i-Vent Maribor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Slovenian professional volleyball team based in Maribor. The team play their home games at Tabor Hall and competes in the Slovenian Volleyball League, the top division of Slovenian volleyball. Founded in 1945, the club has won the Slovenian national championship three times (1992, 1993 and 2021) and the national cup four times (1992, 1994, 1995 and 2006).

Contents

History

Immediately after the Second World War, on 14 June 1945, the men's volleyball section of the Železničar Sports Association was established. [1] They played in the inaugural edition of the Slovenian national championship in 1946 and finished in fourth place. [1] In 1947, the club was renamed as Odbojkarski klub Železničar (English: Železničar Volleyball Club). [1] In 1951, the team was relegated from the Slovenian championship. [1]

In 1976, Železničar merged with its city rival Branik and became Odbojkarski klub Maribor (English: Maribor Volleyball Club). [1] In 1980, Maribor won the Yugoslav second division and qualified for the highest level of Yugoslav volleyball, the Yugoslav Volleyball Championship. [2] The club was relegated during its first top division season, but the following year they won the second division and were thus immediately promoted back. [2] They were also the runners-up of the Yugoslav Cup in 1983. [1] Maribor remained in the top division until 1989, when the Yugoslav League was reorganized and reduced to eight teams. [2] Maribor again immediately returned to the top tier after winning the A2 division in 1990, but the following year the club again dropped out of the Yugoslav top tier. This was also the last season before the breakup of Yugoslavia. [2]

In 1991, Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia, and the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia established its own league system. OK Maribor won the first two editions of the newly established Slovenian Volleyball League, becoming back-to-back national champions in 1992 and 1993. [3] As Slovenian champions, the team competed in the 1992–93 edition of the CEV European Champions Cup, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Swiss team Lausanne UC. [4] During the 1990s, Maribor also won the national cup three times and was the league runner-up on several occasions. [5] In January 2006, Maribor, competing under the sponsorship name Prevent Gradnje IGM, won its fourth national cup title by defeating Salonit Anhovo in the final, the first major trophy won by the club in eleven years. [6]

Between 2009 and 2019, the club went through a period of stagnation, never finishing higher than fourth in the league. In 2009–10, Maribor even finished in the last, 12th place. [7] In December 2019, the club signed a sponsorship deal with Merkur and changed its name to Merkur Maribor. [8] In 2021, Maribor won their third national championship after defeating ACH Volley 3–2 in the final, preventing them from winning their 17th consecutive title. [9]

Name changes

Throughout its history, OK Maribor has been named after their main sponsor on numerous occasions:

Season-by-season records

SeasonLeaguePositionDomestic cupEurope
1991–92 1. DOL ChampionsWinners
1992–931. DOLChampionsRunners-up CEV European Champions Cup PR
1993–941. DOLRunners-upWinners CEV European Champions Cup R16
1994–951. DOL3rdWinners CEV Cup Winners' Cup QF
1995–961. DOLRunners-upRunners-up CEV Cup Winners' Cup GS
1996–971. DOLRunners-upRunners-up CEV Cup Winners' Cup GS
1997–981. DOL3rdSemi-final CEV Cup Winners' Cup GS
1998–991. DOLRunners-upSemi-final CEV Cup MP
1999–001. DOL5thRunners-up CEV Cup MP
2000–011. DOL6thQuarter-final
2001–021. DOL3rdQuarter-final CEV Cup MP
2002–031. DOLRunners-upSemi-final CEV Cup MP
2003–041. DOL5thSemi-final CEV Cup MP
2004–051. DOL5thRound of 16
2005–061. DOLRunners-upWinners
2006–071. DOLRunners-upQuarter-final CEV Cup R16
CEV Top Teams Cup PR
2007–081. DOL3rdQuarter-final CEV Challenge Cup R3
CEV Cup R32
2008–091. DOL6thQuarter-final CEV Challenge Cup R2
2009–101. DOL12thRound of 16
2010–111. DOL10thFourth round
2011–121. DOL8thRound of 16
2012–131. DOL5thSemi-final
2013–141. DOL5thSemi-final
2014–151. DOL7thRound of 16
2015–161. DOL5thQuarter-final
2016–171. DOL5thRound of 16
2017–181. DOL5thQuarter-final
2018–191. DOL4thQuarter-final
2019–201. DOL3rdRunners-up
2020–211. DOLChampionsQuarter-final
2021–221. DOL3rdRunners-up CEV Champions League GS
2022–231. DOL3rdSemi-final CEV Challenge Cup Q32
2023–241. DOL3rdRunners-up CEV Challenge Cup Q32

Players

2022−23 team

NumberNameBirthdateHeight (cm)Position
2 Flag of Slovenia.svg Jaka Jevšnik21 June 2001 (age 22)187Libero
3 Flag of Slovenia.svg Timotej Vodušek19 November 2004 (age 19)195Middle blocker
4 Flag of Slovenia.svg Gregor Pernuš16 July 1999 (age 24)198Setter
5 Flag of Slovenia.svg Sani Adžović3 November 2002 (age 21)198Opposite
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Connor McConnell24 August 1998 (age 25)201Opposite
8 Flag of Slovenia.svg Rok Bračko21 April 2004 (age 20)195Wing spiker
9 Flag of Slovenia.svg Žiga Kumer9 September 1999 (age 24)184Libero
10 Flag of Slovenia.svg Janž Janez Kržič26 June 2003 (age 20)205Middle blocker
11 Flag of Slovenia.svg Žiga Donik 21 September 1995 (age 28)192Wing spiker
12 Flag of Slovenia.svg Filip Leva20 July 2001 (age 22)194Middle blocker
13 Flag of Slovenia.svg Miha Fink20 September 2003 (age 20)200Middle blocker
14 Flag of Slovenia.svg Nejc Najdič5 May 2006 (age 17)196Setter
16 Flag of Slovenia.svg Jaka Iršič3 June 2004 (age 19)192Wing spiker
21 Flag of Slovenia.svg Maj Toplišek27 May 2005 (age 18)190Wing spiker
42 Flag of Montenegro.svg Nemanja Peruničić9 February 2001 (age 23)200Wing spiker
Head coach: Sebastijan Škorc
Assistant coach: Alen Kranjc

Source: Volleyball Federation of Slovenia

Honours

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References

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