Germany - VBL 1. Bundesliga 2018/2019

    I don't follow German league that closely, but I've been reading that Stuttgart is the better team here for years now and I have yet to see them prevail over Schwerin (and Dresdner when they were winning trophies). If I had to bet, I'd put my money in Schwerin without a doubt.

    The second set they didn't win by luck, I even think Schweriner should have won this match in four sets. Schweriner proved they can win against Stuttgart, especially in the cup final when they were much better than Stuttgart.


    I think the teams are pretty much equal. When they meet each other in the finals, it is all going to be about service pressure. When Schweriner can't put enough service pressure on Stuttgart, it is going to be easier for Stuttgart to kill the balls because of the weaker block and defence of Schweriner. But if Schweriner can put Stuttgart under pressure with their serve, it's going to be difficult to beat Schweriner. In this way they have a big advantage with their better setters, because they can play a very fast game.

    Erfurt - Münster 1:3 (11:25 25:20 17:25 25:27)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2122.pdf

    MVP: Tess Rountree / Marie Schölzel


    Aachen - Straubing 3:0 (25:21 25:20 25:18)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2123.pdf

    MVP: Kirsten Knip / Celin Stöhr


    Potsdam - Vilsbiburg 2:3 (20:25 25:14 21:25 25:22 13:15)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2121.pdf

    MVP: Nia Grant / Channon Thompson


    Suhl - Stuttgart 0:3 (21:25 16:25 18:25)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2126.pdf

    MVP: Claudia Steger / Madison Bugg


    VCO Berlin - Vilsbiburg 0:3 (12:25 21:25 18:25)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2220.pdf

    MVP: Athina Dimitriadis / Leonie Schwertmann


    Ranking:

    1 Stuttgart 20 19 59:11 55

    2 Schwerin 20 19 58:14 54

    3 Dresden 21 13 47:29 42

    4 Potsdam 21 11 44:37 37

    5 Vilsbiburg 21 12 38:31 35

    6 Münster 21 12 40:36 34

    7 Aachen 21 11 40:36 34

    8 Wiesbaden 20 10 36:39 28

    9 Suhl 20 9 32:40 26

    10 Straubing 21 5 21:52 16

    11 Erfurt 21 3 20:57 9

    12 VCO Berlin 21 0 10:63 2


    Schwerin-Wiesbaden on Thursday as TV match, then the last round of regular season next Saturday.

    Weak match by Schwerin, which took this one not as seriously as required, resting Geerties and Barfield at the begin... Wiesbaden was playing with glowing hearts to secure the last playoff slot, which they took after winning first two sets with 24:26 (!) each. That means a lot, because Schwerin has no chance anymore to finish on the top of the league the round. But in the middle field there are possibilities for changes still on Saturday now. Schwerin lost in four sets...

    So we have definitely following order of the three top teams:


    1. Stuttgart

    2. Schwerin

    3. Dresden


    The remainder is a complex affair: Wiesbaden is not necessarily eighth at the end, they could improve to seventh, if they win with three points against Suhl (not unlikely) and the derby Münster vs. Aachen ends with a clear three point victory for either team (hard to tell, what will happen there). Potsdam might have an advantage, because Stuttgart needs no more to win against them, but can end on fourth to sixth place, Vilsbiburg could improve to fourth, but also drop to sixth, and both Münster and Aachen could either drop to 8 or raise even to fourth place :) .

    You know, that professional sports tends to be not improving health, to say the least. And knee injuries are the biggest plague of especially female volleyball professionals.

    Stuttgart - Potsdam 2:3 (20:25 21:25 25:18 25:19 15:17)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2127.pdf

    MVP: Deborah van Daelen / Marta Drpa


    Wiesbaden - Suhl 3:1 (13:25 26:24 25:23 25:20)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2128.pdf

    MVP: Jennifer Hamson / Anniek Siebring


    Straubing - Dresden 1:3 (25:19 17:25 16:25 13:25)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2130.pdf

    MVP: Frauke Neuhaus / Piia Korhonen


    Münster - Aachen 0:3 (22:25 13:25 20:25)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2131.pdf

    MVP: Liza Kastrup / Kirsten Knip


    Vilsbiburg - Erfurt 3:2 (21:25 28:26 25:23 22:25 15:11)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2132.pdf

    MVP: Myrthe Schoot / Clarisa Sagardia


    Schwerin - VCO Berlin 3:0 (25:11 25:16 25:12)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2221.pdf

    MVP: Jennifer Geerties / Emma Cyris


    Ranking:

    1 Allianz MTV Stuttgart 22 20 64:14 59

    2 SSC Palmberg Schwerin 22 20 62:17 57

    3 Dresdner SC 22 14 50:30 45

    4 SC Potsdam 22 12 47:39 39

    5 Rote Raben Vilsbiburg 22 13 41:33 37

    6 Ladies in Black Aachen 22 12 43:36 37

    7 USC Münster 22 12 40:39 34

    8 VC Wiesbaden 22 12 42:41 34

    9 VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen 22 9 33:46 26

    10 NawaRo Straubing 22 5 22:55 16

    11 Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt 22 3 22:60 10

    12 VCO Berlin 22 0 10:66 2


    Erfurt is in theory relegated to 2nd league, but as once again no team from 2nd league wants to play in 1st league, they can apply for a license and stay.


    Playoff Quarterfinals (starting next weekend):

    Stuttgart - Wiesbaden

    Schwerin - Münster

    Dresden - Aachen

    Potsdam - Vilsbiburg

    The quarters in playoffs (best of three, better team (first mentioned) starts at home) are now determined:


    Stuttgart vs. Wiesbaden

    Schwerin vs. Münster

    Dresden vs. Aachen

    Potsdam vs. Vilsbiburg


    The decisions were the three set win of Aachen in Münster and Vilsbiburg needed the tie-break to win against Erfurt, so the first two set wins of Potsdam in Stuttgart (the latter tired and not highly motivated, not playing in best lineup) sufficed therefore to secure the fourth place, so the gift in tie-break of Stuttgart for Potsdam wasn't required :) . Wiesbaden lost a set fatally against Suhl, and missed that way the chance, to pass Münster in the last moment possible.

    The exact schedule of the quarters, semis and final series will be published only on Monday, only known already is, that the semis will go best of five (that is clearly no advantage for Stuttgart, which has already played 38 matches of duty and faces at least 8 more therefore, at least tying the questionable record from season 2015/2016 this way).

    Quote from StefanS

    The exact schedule of the quarters, semis and final series will be published only on Monday, only known already is, that the semis will go best of five (that is clearly no advantage for Stuttgart, which has already played 38 matches of duty and faces at least 8 more therefore, at least tying the questionable record from season 2015/2016 this way).

    Oh well, at least they'll have a good excuse for losing the finals once more :whistle:

    I think, they have good chances to win, especially if all important players stay healthy (this would the the first time after losing every season before at the end an important OH at the end of season the last three years). But it objectively increases the load for the players even more, despite they have enough capacity to substitute.

    My impression is, that despite/because Hamson is very tall, but also very slow moving. I'm not convinced, that she can have such a big impact against players moving much faster then her.