Main competitions:
- European League
- World Grand Prix
- World Championship
I hope we'll also get to play in Montreux again...
Giovanni Guidetti has a contract until the end of this year, but it is very probable that he'll renew it because his goal is to reach Rio 2016 with German team.
As for the players...I suppose we'll mainly see the same faces as last year, but there will have to be some new players as well.
Setters: Kathleen Weiss, Denise Hanke and Lena Möllers should be there as usual. Mareen Apitz hasn't shown much interest to play NT in the last years, so I don't expect to see her there. From the younger players, maybe Magdalena Gryka (1994) and Denise Imoudu (1995) can get some chances in the early part of the summer. Junior NT setter Irina Kemmsies (1996) is also a big talent, but I suppose for now she'll stay with Junior NT.
Libero: Lenka Dürr and Lisa Thomsen should be the main liberos again. Linda Dörendahl was sent home early last summer because of her age (though she is only one year older than Thomsen), so I don't expect to see her this year. Janine Völker started pretty bad into the season in Schwerin but now she is playing a lot better, so maybe she'll get a chance. Anna Pogany (1994) is also doing surprisingly well as substitute for Miyashiro in Vilsbiburg.
Opposite: The first "problem position" for NT. Maggi Kozuch will undoubtedly be starter. Saskia Hippe is recovering from her knee injury, probably she'll be ready to play in summer but the question is how long it will take for her to get back in a good shape again. Louisa Lippmann (1994) has just made her comeback in Münster after a shoulder surgery, she is an interesting player, tall and powerful. She should definitely get a chance in EL, Guidetti also invited her last year but she had the shoulder injury then. Carina Aulenbrock (1994) is not really showing any signs of approaching a level that would do for NT unfortunately at the moment...and other than that, there simply are no German OPPs, not even bad ones
Outside hitters: Heike Beier, Maren Brinker, Jennifer Geerties and Lisa Izquierdo should definitely be there, even though Izquierdo is playing as receiving OPP in Dresden now. I don't want to see Jana Poll and Svenja Engelhardt again, in my opinion they'll never reach a level to be important players for NT, even though at least Poll has certainly improved during the last year. Anika Brinkmann has been playing a very good season so far even though her team is awful, but she is not so young (1986) and also not tall (1.77). Still I hope Guidetti will give her a chance, she has very strong jump serves and definitely is a better attacker than Poll and Engelhardt. Tanja Großer (1993, 1.78 ) is another player who is doing rather well in her club but might not have the potential for higher level...overall, there definitely is a lack of decent OHs in Germany and also of tall OHs...Sarah Petrausch is playing a lot better this season than in the last years, but probably still not good enough for NT either...Oh I forgot one player, Laura Weihenmaier is also playing very well this season, she's a strong attacker but her reception is not good...but for me she deserves a chance as well.
Middle blockers: Next "problem position". Corina Ssuschke-Voigt has been talking for ages about having a baby, and her contract with Cannes expired now, so this probably is the time for it. Anja Brandt is still out with shoulder injury, she'll be back for summer but I think that she is a player who will need very long to get back in shape which really is a pity because she made such big progress in 2013 I expect Berit Kauffeldt and Christiane Fürst to be the main MBs this summer, but there is a big about who else will be there. Stefanie Karg is about to finish her studies, maybe she'll finally play in NT then. Julia Osterloh is playing the best season of her career in Wiesbaden at the moment, she is also not so young (1986) but in my opinion she definitely deserves a chance if she continues like this. From the younger players, Leonie Schwertmann (1994) and Alessandra Jovy-Heusser (1991) might get a chance, but Jovy-Heusser probably won't be good enough for high level. Schwertmann is doing well in Münster, it will be interesting to see her development. But other than that I can't think of anyone else...Rebecca Schäperklaus (1992) isn't very good, and Wiebke Silge (1996) is a great talent but I expect her to stay in Junior NT this summer.
Overall, it will definitely be an interesting year....