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).
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| Full name | Odbojkarski klub i-Vent Maribor | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 14 June 1945[1] | ||
| Ground | Tabor Hall Maribor, Slovenia (Capacity: 3,261) | ||
| Chairman | Milan Kuster | ||
| Manager | Sebastijan Škorc | ||
| Captain | Žiga Donik | ||
| League | Slovenian Volleyball League | ||
| 2023−24 | Regular season: 3rd Playoffs: Third place | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| Championships | |||
| 1992, 1993, 2021 | |||
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:
- Stavbar/MTT Maribor (until 1989)
- Tehno Mobil (1989–1990)
- Vileda Maribor (1990–1994)
- Bella Viola Maribor (1994–1995)[10]
- Marles Maribor (1995–1996)
- Gradis Maribor (1997–1998)
- Stavbar IGM Maribor (1998–2004)
- Prevent Gradnje IGM (2004–2007)
- MTB Maribor (2008–2010)
- Lunos Maribor (2013–2015)
- Merkur Maribor (2019–2023)
- i-Vent Maribor (2024–present)
Season-by-season records
| Season | League | Position | Domestic cup | Europe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | 1. DOL | Champions | Winners | — | |
| 1992–93 | 1. DOL | Champions | Runners-up | CEV European Champions Cup | PR |
| 1993–94 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Winners | CEV European Champions Cup | R16 |
| 1994–95 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Winners | CEV Cup Winners' Cup | QF |
| 1995–96 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Runners-up | CEV Cup Winners' Cup | GS |
| 1996–97 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Runners-up | CEV Cup Winners' Cup | GS |
| 1997–98 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Semi-final | CEV Cup Winners' Cup | GS |
| 1998–99 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Semi-final | CEV Cup | MP |
| 1999–00 | 1. DOL | 5th | Runners-up | CEV Cup | MP |
| 2000–01 | 1. DOL | 6th | Quarter-final | — | |
| 2001–02 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Quarter-final | CEV Cup | MP |
| 2002–03 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Semi-final | CEV Cup | MP |
| 2003–04 | 1. DOL | 5th | Semi-final | CEV Cup | MP |
| 2004–05 | 1. DOL | 5th | Round of 16 | — | |
| 2005–06 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Winners | — | |
| 2006–07 | 1. DOL | Runners-up | Quarter-final | CEV Cup | R16 |
| CEV Top Teams Cup | PR | ||||
| 2007–08 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Quarter-final | CEV Challenge Cup | R3 |
| CEV Cup | R32 | ||||
| 2008–09 | 1. DOL | 6th | Quarter-final | CEV Challenge Cup | R2 |
| 2009–10 | 1. DOL | 12th | Round of 16 | — | |
| 2010–11 | 1. DOL | 10th | Fourth round | — | |
| 2011–12 | 1. DOL | 8th | Round of 16 | — | |
| 2012–13 | 1. DOL | 5th | Semi-final | — | |
| 2013–14 | 1. DOL | 5th | Semi-final | — | |
| 2014–15 | 1. DOL | 7th | Round of 16 | — | |
| 2015–16 | 1. DOL | 5th | Quarter-final | — | |
| 2016–17 | 1. DOL | 5th | Round of 16 | — | |
| 2017–18 | 1. DOL | 5th | Quarter-final | — | |
| 2018–19 | 1. DOL | 4th | Quarter-final | — | |
| 2019–20 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Runners-up | — | |
| 2020–21 | 1. DOL | Champions | Quarter-final | — | |
| 2021–22 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Runners-up | CEV Champions League | GS |
| 2022–23 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Semi-final | CEV Challenge Cup | Q32 |
| 2023–24 | 1. DOL | 3rd | Runners-up | CEV Challenge Cup | Q32 |
Players
2022−23 team
| Number | Name | Birthdate | Height (cm) | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  Jaka Jevšnik | 21 June 2001 | 187 | Libero |
| 3 | Timotej Vodušek | 19 November 2004 | 195 | Middle blocker |
| 4 | Gregor Pernuš | 16 July 1999 | 198 | Setter |
| 5 | Sani Adžović | 3 November 2002 | 198 | Opposite |
| 6 |  Connor McConnell | 24 August 1998 | 201 | Opposite |
| 8 | Rok Bračko | 21 April 2004 | 195 | Wing spiker |
| 9 | Žiga Kumer | 9 September 1999 | 184 | Libero |
| 10 | Janž Janez Kržič | 26 June 2003 | 205 | Middle blocker |
| 11 | Žiga Donik | 21 September 1995 | 192 | Wing spiker |
| 12 | Filip Leva | 20 July 2001 | 194 | Middle blocker |
| 13 | Miha Fink | 20 September 2003 | 200 | Middle blocker |
| 14 | Nejc Najdič | 5 May 2006 | 196 | Setter |
| 16 | Jaka Iršič | 3 June 2004 | 192 | Wing spiker |
| 21 | Maj Toplišek | 27 May 2005 | 190 | Wing spiker |
| 42 |  Nemanja Peruničić | 9 February 2001 | 200 | Wing spiker |
| Head coach: Sebastijan Škorc |
| Assistant coach: Alen Kranjc |
Honours
- Slovenian Volleyball League
- Winners (3): 1991–92, 1992–93, 2020–21
- Runners-up (7): 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Slovenian Cup
- Winners (4): 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2005–06
- Runners-up (7): 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24
- MEVZA League
- Runners-up (2): 2020–21, 2023–24
References
External links
- Official website (in Slovene)