Germany - VBL 1. Bundesliga 2017/2018

  • So eventually we get the expected final Stuttgart vs Schwerin and I hope it will be more entertaining and balanced than the semifinals (though they were also far from being boring or one-sided, but after all the favourites won without too much trouble)...


    Aachen - Stuttgart 0:3 (19:25 16:25 23:25)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2513.pdf
    MVP: Jelena Sunjic / Nika Daalderop
    Aachen suffered too many serving streaks by Stuttgart, the final one from 22:19 to 22:24 in 3rd set. The main difference was Stuttgart's 11 errors compared to 28 by Aachen :aww: Aachen managed to control van Daelen and the MBs very well but Daalderop and Sandor who played instead of Mlejnkova today did a great job.
    Still, Aachen can be very satisfied with what they achieved this season :heart:


    Schwerin - Dresden 3:1 (25:21 25:14 21:25 25:13)
    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2017-18/Women/2516.pdf
    MVP: Luna Carocci / Myrthe Schoot
    Apart from some parts of 1st and 3rd set Schwerin was again clearly superior. Jennifer Geerties played way above her standards in attack, Szakmary and Carocci were rock solid in defense and Lippmann as usual was always there when needed. Maybe her stats don't look so impressive but watching her play is another story, so much power :white:
    As for Dresden, if they can add at least one OH who can receive and attack on an acceptable level and keep the rest of the team they can compete with Schwerin and Stuttgart next season, but with Jasper and Hodanova they can't (unless the latter could always play like she did in the end of 3rd set). Katharina Schwabe couldn't play today due to a tooth inflammation but she wouldn't have made a difference anyway.


    Final series starts in 2 weeks (unless there are any changes in the schedule).

  • Setter Anastasia Shash (Belarus) will play for VfB Suhl next season.

  • Poor numbers on Sport1 TV for yesterdays semi Schwerin vs. Dresden: below 90.000 at average. I hope the final series will attract more viewers, but it depends of course also of exact airing dates and times.


    What I found so far is:


    1. match from SCHARRena Stuttgart Sunday 22. April 17 CEST
    2. match from Palmberg Schwerin either Tuesday 24. or Wednesday 25. April always 20 CEST
    3. match from SCHARRena Stuttgart Saturday 28. April 15:20 CEST


    4. match would be again in Schwerin, under the week (scheduled 13 CEST 1. May), of course, and only if necessary; an eventual 5. match could be even in Porsche Arena Stuttgart (before it is blocked with Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Women)

  • 27 years ago the legendary team of CJD Feuerbach won its third (pure Western) and last German championship title - the team was ceased in the 90's not long after.


    Founding of this MTV carried volleyball team Allianz (Volley/Smart/MTV) Stuttgart was inspired in 2006 by the former Stuttgart based team of Feuerbach and its successes (also 4 times German cup winners, won also once an European cups competition).


    This team is now playing its 10th first league season (in a row), and for the first time there is a real chance of winning the championship. Remember, that in 2015 to 2017 playoff final series Stuttgart couldn't cope with the physical demand of the final series against superiour rosters of first Dresden and later Schwerin - in 2015 the roster was just to small regarding usable players (at most 8 ), in 2016 and 2017 one important OH was injured until end of season and the remaining two had to play all the time, their physical collapse was only a matter of time in the finals.


    This time, 8 years after Vilsbiburg won as last team from Western Germany the championship, Schwerin cannot expect Stuttgarts team collapsing physically in the finals, so it is the first real and dangerous challenge by Stuttgart.


    Stuttgart won the home advantage, which is quite important: we have the most supportive and loyale supporters of all three top teams and the travel distance Stuttgart-Schwerin is rather large (more than 750 km). While Schwerin has the by far strongest opposite of both finalists (Lippmann), Stuttgart as team is clearly better in blocking and a little more flexible in OH positions (can use any two of Sandor/Daalderop/Mlejnková), while Schwerin has to stick to Geerties and only substitutes Szakmary at times with Oluic.


    Pusic couldn't play for Stuttgart yesterday: I hope she can recover until the finals, because though Cesar did fine yesterday, her lack of experience can prove fatal in the finals against the most experienced championship opponent possible.


    If Pusic can play again in final series, I estimate chances of Stuttgart against Schwerin to 60:40, and I expect a very close and hard-fought final series with more than a small chance to go to the final match. Remember, there were some championships in the last time, which went to the tie-break of the decisive final series match (at last in China the 7th, some years ago in Slovenia the 5th), and it would be no surprise for me, if this happens in this series too.

  • I have read now, that Teodora Pusic suffers from double ligament rupture - this is supposed end of season for her.


    What is bad news for Stuttgart of course, I reduce chances of the team against Schwerin now to 50:50.

  • Annie Cesar played a very good game yesterday, but finals are going to be different. Still I don't think this will be decisive in the end. And I disagree with your estimation of chances. Even Aachen showed that Stuttgart's MBs can be controlled with good preparation, plus Schwerin's MBs, especially Dumancic, did much better in the semifinals than during regular season. For me Schwerin is slightly favourite in the final series under the current circumstances.

  • Annie Cesar played a very good game yesterday, but finals are going to be different. Still I don't think this will be decisive in the end. And I disagree with your estimation of chances. Even Aachen showed that Stuttgart's MBs can be controlled with good preparation, plus Schwerin's MBs, especially Dumancic, did much better in the semifinals than during regular season. For me Schwerin is slightly favourite in the final series under the current circumstances.


    Against each other this is a totally different match and Aachen opened much space for Stuttgarts outside hitters this way. Stuttgart has too many strong attackers, that such an approach can work.


    Motivation is another factor: this should be higher for Stuttgart, which lost the three last final series, for Schwerin it would be just the 12th title, nothing special, and they won already supercup 2017, although they try to ignore it :) .

  • Updated schedule by Allianz MTV Stuttgart, partly confirmed by SSC Palmberg Schwerin:


    1. Saturday 21.4. 19:00 CEST SCHARRena
    2. Wednesday 25.4. 20:00 CEST Palmberg Arena
    3. Saturday 28.4. 15:30 CEST SCHARRena


    optional matches:


    4. Tuesday 1.5. 13:10 CEST Palmberg Arena


    5. Saturday 5.5. 19:30 CEST PORSCHE Arena - the big hall, an adequate location for a decision match for the championship!


    The Porsche Arena has 6.100 (!) seats and Allianz MTV Stuttgart marked the all-time league record of 5.392 visitors there in the fourth match of final series 2016 against Dresden, they won in tie-break (we fans pushed them hard than) and only lost finally the decisive match expectedly in Margon Arena in Dresden afterwards.


    I still can't guarantee exact starting times, but this is sufficiently exact for the moment, I guess.


  • Stuttgart says they played Game 5 in SCHARRena


    https://www.facebook.com/allia…732949650/?type=3&theater

  • which team do you think will get the German championship StefanS ?


    i feel Stuttgart is slightly fav...am i wrong ?


    As you have seen, this is discussed currently and opinions are different, but all agree, that chances are not much away from 50% for both teams.

  • Terrible news from Münster: on Saturday there was an attack where a mentally ill man drove into a crowd outside a restaurant with a car, two people were killed and many more injured, and among the injured is USC Münster's player Chiara Hoenhorst (21 years) who was taken to hospital with severe head injuries, she had emergency surgery and is in artificial coma now but luckily not in risk of death anymore.

  • schrecklich ! wish that she will be healthy asap ...

    Les pieds dans le fumier, mais toujours le verbe haut et la tête droite ! Cocorico !

  • Now the schedule was finally clarified, obviously after a lot of discussions of Sport1, VBL, AMS and SSC:


    1. Saturday 21.4. 19:30 CEST SCHARRena
    2. Wednesday 25.4. 18:10 CEST Palmberg Arena
    3. Saturday 28.4. 15:30 CEST SCHARRena


    optional matches:


    4. Tuesday 1.5. 13:10 CEST Palmberg Arena


    5. Saturday 5.5. 19:30 CEST PORSCHE Arena - the big hall


    Essentially only the first match (was a fault anyway) was slightly corrected by half an hour and the second is two hours earlier (about).

  • Waibl sees Stuttgart as the favourite, because of the home advantage.


    And he admits now finally, that Dresdens current roster was not up to the expectations in Dresden to compete for the championship, due to four ineffective OHs. But this was rather clear not only for me already at begin of the season.