The Berlin Volleys have already opened the door to winning the German Volleyball Championship a crack. But after the 3-1 home win against VfB Friedrichshafen at the start of the Best of Five final series, it’s now time to catch up on Thursday (8:00 p.m.) away at VfB Friedrichshafen. The respect for the team from Lake Constance is great. Volleys Managing Director Kaweh Niroomand says: “Friedrichshafen has a very experienced team. They cannot be influenced by setbacks.”
Berlin’s libero Satoshi Tsuiki also states on the basis of the impressions of the previous meetings: “One must say clearly: Friedrichshafen is stronger than in the last direct duels against us.” The BR Volleys have lost the two previous away games at VfB this season: in the main round 2:3, in the intermediate round with 1:3.
The new home ground of the Friedrichshafen team also has its pitfalls for the Berlin players. “Their hall takes a lot of getting used to. Above all, the lighting conditions there are anything but favorable for volleyball,” complained Niroomand. Because the ZF Arena was closed due to dilapidation, VfB now plays its home games in a converted former aircraft hangar, which bears the somewhat cocky name Bodensee-Airport-Arena, holds just 1000 spectators and offers very cramped conditions.
The BR Volleys want to play decent volleyball even under these difficult circumstances. Tsuiki promises: “The first game of the final series was already good, but I’m sure the level will continue to rise.”
If the BR Volleys win in Friedrichshafen, they could complete the championship just 48 hours later on Saturday in front of their home crowd in their third meeting. It would be the 13th title win for the Berliners. They would then draw level with record champions VfB Friedrichshafen.