Germany - VBL 1. Bundesliga 2017/2018

  • This was a rather feeble performance by Stuttgart, and there is hardly any excuse. Of course preparation time was too short (for both teams, well solved by Schwerin anyway), but at Stuttgarts team even basics like reception and service didn't work out really. I'm very sorry for this embarassing weak performance, especially for the live viewers... there is good reason to see Schwerin as main favorite for the championship, but Stuttgart should be able to challenge them, a lot of hard work is obviously still required to realize the teams potential.

  • Regarding Luna Carocci: she is really very, very good - a full fledged replacement for Lenka Dürr, without any doubt.


    She is way better imho. Durr is a good player, but a a bit overrated. On the other hand Carocci in one of the most underrated liberos.

  • She is way better imho. Durr is a good player, but a a bit overrated. On the other hand Carocci in one of the most underrated liberos.

    I'm sorry, but have you watched Germany in Montreux or ECH? Dürr is a world class libero when she's in her best shape. In fact today I thought that both Schwerin and Stuttgart went one step down in terms of liberos compared to last season. Carocci is still a very good player, but I think Lenka is better than her.

  • I'm sorry, but have you watched Germany in Montreux or ECH? Dürr is a world class libero when she's in her best shape. In fact today I thought that both Schwerin and Stuttgart went one step down in terms of liberos compared to last season. Carocci is still a very good player, but I think Lenka is better than her.


    IMHO Carocci, Arcangeli and Sirressi are the best italian liberos. Way better than De Gennaro or the others you can see playing in NT.
    Durr is average for my taste.

  • I recommend you to watch more matches of Lenka ;) IMO she's one of very few European liberos on world class level and I would put her on a similar level as the best Italian liberos.


    I perfetly understand your point. If you mean Durr is on De Gennaro's level, then I agree with you. What I'm trying to say is that IMHO Carocci, Arcangeli and Sirressi are better than De Gennaro (who's considered the best italian libero just because she plays for NT, but never made me such a good impression at international level).


    BTW I have a very peculiar taste for liberos: for example the old German NT libero, the one with the unwriteable name from Dredner, was very pleased here, but IMHO she was very weak. Same for Leonardi, Sansonna e many other liberos...


    I used to had 3 seasons in a row Carocci at fantavolley: she was almost always over 60% perfect and 90% positive passing. :win:

  • BTW I have a very peculiar taste for liberos: for example the old German NT libero, the one with the unwriteable name from Dredner, was very pleased here, but IMHO she was very weak. Same for Leonardi, Sansonna e many other liberos...

    You mean Kerstin Tzscherlich :D I remember even in NT her name once was spelled wrong on her shirt :rolll:
    I used to like her a lot and still do when watching old videos. She was an excellent receiver and had a great sense for the game, she always predicted what was going to happen so she didn't have to fly through the hall and wasn't spectacular.


    I agree about Leonardi and Sansonna exactly because of that though. They LOOK spectacular, but only because they are late at realising what happens. Or maybe they simply want to look spectacular with all the flying and rolling even when it's not necessary. De Gennaro doesn't do that though...

  • You mean Kerstin Tzscherlich :D I remember even in NT her name once was spelled wrong on her shirt :rolll:
    I used to like her a lot and still do when watching old videos. She was an excellent receiver and had a great sense for the game, she always predicted what was going to happen so she didn't have to fly through the hall and wasn't spectacular.


    I agree about Leonardi and Sansonna exactly because of that though. They LOOK spectacular, but only because they are late at realising what happens. Or maybe they simply want to look spectacular with all the flying and rolling even when it's not necessary. De Gennaro doesn't do that though...


    This. You have to dive just for the tips and block-outs. If you do it for a spike which comes straight to your court, you're simply out of position instead of being waiting in compression for it. :drink:


    About De Gennaro, I find her a good passer (not at international level) and a weak digger.

  • Bad news for Aachen: a few days before the start of the season, they seem to have two injured setters :white:
    There are no official news from the club, but reading fan comments and newspaper articles about a pre-season tournament where they participated last weekend, Lindsay Dowd is currently recovering from an injury and not yet ready to play, and Britt Bongaerts suffered a knee injury in the last match of the tournament, which Aachen then forfeited after the injury :S


    I hope it's nothing serious and Aachen can play normal volleyball with at least one healthy setter.


    One article mentions that Saskia van Hintum and Jonas Kronseder got into a bit of a fight (verbally) during the tournament about the schedule and then Teun Buijs joined in as well, eventually pressuring the Swiss host to change the formula :what:

  • Bad news for Aachen: a few days before the start of the season, they seem to have two injured setters :white:
    There are no official news from the club, but reading fan comments and newspaper articles about a pre-season tournament where they participated last weekend, Lindsay Dowd is currently recovering from an injury and not yet ready to play, and Britt Bongaerts suffered a knee injury in the last match of the tournament, which Aachen then forfeited after the injury :S


    I hope it's nothing serious and Aachen can play normal volleyball with at least one healthy setter.


    One article mentions that Saskia van Hintum and Jonas Kronseder got into a bit of a fight (verbally) during the tournament about the schedule and then Teun Buijs joined in as well, eventually pressuring the Swiss host to change the formula :what:

    I've read that it was 1:0 in sets for Aachen and 16:9 points lead for Kanti Schaffhausen in the second set when the injury happened. And then Aachen "borrowed" for the rest of the 2nd set one of Kanti's setters. But after that they stopped the game with a 1:1 in sets.
    http://vckanti.vvf.li/vc-kanti-nla.html#a9226 (VC Kanti Fanpage). You can see in the pics that Dowd was with the team, but not dressed to play and the swiss setter playing for the opponent .

  • Schwerin has equipped 3 junior players with a double license to play both for VCO Berlin and for them: setter Luise Klein, OPP Aisha Skinner and OH Gina Köppen (who is originally from Schwerin). Probably they'll help Schwerin in the 2nd half of the season but will mainly play for VCO. According to the article it's already almost sure that Aisha Skinner will completely transfer to Schwerin for next season and they also want to have Luise Klein.

  • Schwerin has equipped 3 junior players with a double license to play both for VCO Berlin and for them: setter Luise Klein, OPP Aisha Skinner and OH Gina Köppen (who is originally from Schwerin). Probably they'll help Schwerin in the 2nd half of the season but will mainly play for VCO. According to the article it's already almost sure that Aisha Skinner will completely transfer to Schwerin for next season and they also want to have Luise Klein.


    How does this exactly work? Thanks! :win:

  • How does this exactly work? Thanks! :win:

    There are special rules for Junior NT players (and in lower leagues for junior players in general), they are allowed to have a special permission to play in two different teams. Last year Schwerin's junior MB Sabrina Krause played some matches with VCO Berlin and some with Schwerin and now the same will be for the three others. Just imagine that Elena Pietrini could play both in Club Italia and in a "normal" A1 team in the same season, switching freely between the teams, that's how it works. It's rather unusual to have a double license for two clubs in 1st league, usually it's for one club in 2nd league and one in 1st league when clubs have teams in both leagues or when there are cooperating clubs like Dresdner SC and VCO Dresden.

  • Dresden follows Schwerin's example and adds 6 :!: players from their 2nd league talent team to the wide roster for 1st league. However IMO the only player who has a realistic chance to actually come on court in MB Camilla Weitzel.

  • That's similar in Stuttgart: of the so far (mainly) second league players only three at most can hope for time on the court in matches of duty: Annie Cesar (L, OH as receiver) of course, because she is even in first league roster fixed now (and had some time already in supercup as receiver), and the dual licensed Julia Wenzel (OH) and Lena Große Scharmann (Opp).