Germany - VBL 1. Bundesliga 2017/2018

  • There is a long article in current edition of German volleyball magazine. I will outline the most important informations and discussions here:


    the discussion about a foreigner limit respective domestic player rule for the teams lasts already for 20 years or two decades now (!). When done the last time seriously, about 23% of the players of the first league teams (never including VCO teams of course, which are pure domestic education teams) were foreigners. This raised now to 49% (!) and shows, that there is a development to be discussed now more seriously.


    Essentially all the womens clubs agreed, that they should introduce some kind of limitation. It seems even possible to agree on a certain approach: Stuttgarts Dutch captain Deborah van Daelen told them, in the first year they could prescribe always one domestic player has to be on court for every team and the following year two. This would of course result with the currently 10 professional teams in at least (maintaining the possibilty of substitutions) 2 Germans per team or 20 overall the league at the beginning and twice as much in the following year (4 per team required or 40 overall teams).


    Interestingly this approach was not only kind of common view among the womens teams, but shared by Friedrichshafens Belgian ex-federal headcoach Vital Heynen. Regarding the extreme differences among the mens (!) clubs he stated, that we Germans should not try to find a perfect solution (there are many other proposals discussed), but take a rational and pragmatic approach like this instead.


    It confirms, that additionally to the much higher differences in budget and strength in the men's league they often lack maturity (I think there are teams playing in the first league, which definitely shouldn't, because they are not really up to the task) compared to our women's league. But currently DVV and VBL are not willing to decide different rules for both, despite they are strictly seperated in this regard. IMHO they could introduce this mentioned approach in the first place here in women's league and wait, if the discussion in men's league settles in some way.


    Because of a general education renewal approach DVV and VBL postponed in the meantime a decision and as expected such a rule will not come into power in season 2018/2019, but if at all earliest in 2019/2020. So we can expect at best a proposal at beginning of July 2018, nothing more.

  • No surprise, that Wiesbaden won in four against Münster and takes that way place 4 in the table. I guess, that also Aachen will overtake Münster in the remainder of the league round.


    Schwerin had more work than expected, but still won in three and hopes of course to gain some ground against Dresden and/or Stuttgart tomorrow, when they duel in Stuttgart.


    Vilsbiburg kept all three points, but let a set slip away to the table trailing Erfurt.

  • Vilsbiburg - Erfurt 3:1 (25:22 25:15 20:25 25:20)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2061.pdf
    MVP: Jennifer Pettke / Evyn McCoy


    Schwerin - Suhl 3:0 (29:27 25:17 26:24)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2062.pdf
    MVP: Denise Hanke / Miloslava Lauerova


    Wiesbaden - Münster 3:1 (23:25 25:15 25:19 25:19)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2064.pdf
    MVP: Dora Grozer / Ivana Vanjak


    Stuttgart - Dresden 3:0 (25:12 25:18 25:19) :white:
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2065.pdf
    MVP: Nika Daalderop / Sasa Planinsec
    Piia Korhonen missed the match due to stomach flu and Dresden had no chance at all without her. Stuttgart killed them despite receiving 22%pos/15%perf :aww:


    Potsdam-Schwerin on Wednesday as TV match.

  • I have seen the match and the same 6+1 roster as Wednesday against Asterix BEVEREN (formerly Kieldrecht) did the same outstanding job. The main deficit of Dresden this season was visible as well live in the completely sold out hall as in the statistics: aside from opposite Korhonen and their middles, who require perfect reception for it, they have no reliable attackers who can cope with a strong block-field defence like Stuttgart has. And Stuttgart serves well, putting pressure on Dresdens reception, so they had too seldom the chance to use their middles. Also compare attack efficiency of the players of both sides individually and in sum: the last 46% for Stuttgart compared to 30% for Dresden explains it all. This is a class like difference and was at the core of the one-sided match and its final outcome. For example, Stuttgarts worst attacker today, Mlejnková, had 28% compared to Dresdens best, Schwabe, with 24%. The middles were also clearly not on the same level...


    Today Stuttgart displayed its true potential for the first time against a (nominally?) strong opponent, but the main rival regarding championship still is Schwerin, with a nearly as well roster as Stuttgart. Today Dresden would have had no chance against Schwerin too, by the way, for the mentioned reasons, because Schwerin has a number of strong attackers aside of Lippmann.


    Regarding the league round: Stuttgart has now already the best set and ball point ratio and only due to the VCO match (one more) Dresden is artificially ahead of them. But Stuttgart has the best setting regarding home matches of all three (including Schwerin and Dresden) now and should take the lead in the league after the next four matches, because I strongly assume they will not lose any point in Münster, against Wiesbaden, VCO and Potsdam in the next weeks.

  • Due to an article in a Potsdam newspaper (rather believable)


    http://www.pnn.de/regionalsport/1254141/


    SC Potsdam had to pay 6.500 Euro for todays Sport1 TV airing. One sponsor on screen only from Aachen (!) took this costs for being shown in the airing.


    This is a rather similar situation as on sportdeutschland.tv, where the clubs pay for the streams produced. And also similar is, that the prizes are different, clubs with bigger budget pay more (Stuttgart, where one regular sponsor does the payment, has to pay a little more for Stuttgart vs. Schwerin on 10.3.).


    In this regard we made no progress yet: internet streams and TV airings have to regularly paid by the hosting clubs effectively...


    What is badly missing, is a league sponsor, like Orlen did many years in Polish league and Plus still in Polish men's league, which could take such and similar costs, so the clubs save money for other purposes (including salaries).

  • Potsdam - Schwerin 0:3 (17:25 16:25 22:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2054.pdf
    MVP: Marta Drpa / Greta Szakmary


    Ranking:
    1 Dresdner SC 15 13 41:14 38
    2 Allianz MTV Stuttgart 14 12 38:12 37
    3 SSC Palmberg Schwerin 15 12 41:14 36
    4 VC Wiesbaden 14 9 30:22 26
    5 USC Münster 14 7 29:25 24
    6 Ladies in Black Aachen 14 8 29:25 22
    7 Rote Raben Vilsbiburg 14 7 26:25 20
    8 SC Potsdam 14 4 19:33 13
    9 VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen 14 3 13:36 9
    10 Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt 14 2 10:39 6
    11 VCO Berlin 12 0 5:36 0

  • Current evaluation of Sport1 free TV airings of the VBL: at average about 120.000 spectators watched the matches there so far. The men's league is clearly trailing, because even Berlin vs. Friedrichshafen out of Max-Schmeling-Halle (6.200 visitors were there) was below the 150.000, which were (at least) watching the three matches of Schwerin, Stuttgart and Dresden against each other. Also yesterdays match in Potsdam was below 120.000 and therefore average, which can be attributed to the weakness of Potsdam, I think. Of course choosing matches is done before season, so not always the right matches/teams were picked, but some have still no acceptable hall for this purpose despite playing well enough (especially Aachen).


    Our manager can't tell so far, if there will be any positive impact regarding sponsor money next season. I think, the evaluation will be done only at the end of this season and one of the best possible results is a contract with a still very much missed (first-time) league sponsor, who will take care about costs, which are not the prime task of the clubs...

  • Dresden - Vilsbiburg 3:0 (25:18 25:13 25:19)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2070.pdf
    MVP: Piia Korhonen / Lena Stigrot
    Dresden with 15 aces in 3 sets :white:


    Erfurt - Schwerin 0:3 (19:25 10:25 12:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2069.pdf
    MVP: An Saita / Kaisa Alanko


    Suhl - Aachen 0:3 (14:25 21:25 23:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2068.pdf
    MVP: Katharina Holzer / Britt Bongaerts
    Claudia Steger made her comeback on court as receiving libero in 3rd set after her serious injury before the season.


    Tomorrow Münster-Stuttgart and VCO Berlin-Erfurt.

  • Münster - Stuttgart 1:3 (17:25 15:25 25:16 15:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2067.pdf
    MVP: Juliet Lohuis / Molly McCage


    VCO Berlin - Erfurt 1:3 (17:25 19:25 25:20 14:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2214.pdf
    MVP: Sindy Lenz / An Saita


    Ranking:
    1 Dresdner SC 16 14 44:14 41
    2 Allianz MTV Stuttgart 15 13 41:13 40
    3 SSC Palmberg Schwerin 16 13 44:14 39
    4 VC Wiesbaden 14 9 30:22 26
    5 Ladies in Black Aachen 15 9 32:25 25
    6 USC Münster 15 7 30:28 24
    7 Rote Raben Vilsbiburg 15 7 26:28 20
    8 SC Potsdam 14 4 19:33 13
    9 VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen 15 3 13:39 9
    10 Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt 16 3 13:43 9
    11 VCO Berlin 13 0 6:39 0

  • Somehwat surprising news (at least for me) from Potsdam: the club renewed the contracts with head coach Davide Carli and his assistant Riccardo Boieri until 2020. The manager says that despite the bad results this season they see the good work of the coaches in every training. Between the lines the manager critizises the players rather harshly, saying that there is no player taking responsibility, not even Drpa and Svobodnikova who were leading players last season. He also says that the club is already planning the roster for next season and intends to continue the way with young German players as core of the team. I guess there is no doubt about Cikiriz leaving and I expect all other foreigners to leave as well...

  • Somehwat surprising news (at least for me) from Potsdam: the club renewed the contracts with head coach Davide Carli and his assistant Riccardo Boieri until 2020. The manager says that despite the bad results this season they see the good work of the coaches in every training. Between the lines the manager critizises the players rather harshly, saying that there is no player taking responsibility, not even Drpa and Svobodnikova who were leading players last season. He also says that the club is already planning the roster for next season and intends to continue the way with young German players as core of the team. I guess there is no doubt about Cikiriz leaving and I expect all other foreigners to leave as well...


    As matter of fact the current roster of Potsdam is not working at all as a team, so a major renewal sounds like a valid approach. Nobody thinks, that Carli would be a bad coach, by the way...

  • VCO Berlin - Suhl 1:3 (17:25 25:20 14:25 22:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2213.pdf
    MVP: Jenni Liu / Krista DeGeest


    Wiesbaden - Potsdam 1:3 (21:25 22:25 25:17 18:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2066.pdf
    MVP: Simona Kosova / Marta Drpa
    Quite a surprising win for Potsdam but surely a deserved one. The tactical plan was to serve Wiesbaden's libero out of the hall and it worked perfectly, so the other elements worked rather well too. Looks like the line-up with Stautz and Hölzig as OHs and Kecman as receiving libero and Dreblow as defending libero might be the best solution.


    Ranking:
    1 Dresdner SC 16 14 44:14 41
    2 Allianz MTV Stuttgart 15 13 41:13 40
    3 SSC Palmberg Schwerin 16 13 44:14 39
    4 VC Wiesbaden 15 9 31:25 26
    5 Ladies in Black Aachen 15 9 32:25 25
    6 USC Münster 15 7 30:28 24
    7 Rote Raben Vilsbiburg 15 7 26:28 20
    8 SC Potsdam 15 5 22:34 16
    9 VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen 16 4 16:40 12
    10 Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt 16 3 13:43 9
    11 VCO Berlin 14 0 7:42 0

  • I fully agree: I would not have bet a single cent on Potsdam today, to be honest. They did a surprise exploit against at home usually strong favourites of Wiesbaden.

  • Today free TV station Sport1 announced, that they will air matches from every playoff round of the league, starting with the quarters. They will decide, which and when per case, when the matches are fixed after the 10. March (last league round playing day). By the way, this is ONLY for this women's league, not for the men's league, obviously because the numbers of specators are considerably better for the women's matches. I'm curious, if some men's clubs comment on this decision...