Germany - VBL 1. Bundesliga 2018/2019

    Quote from Matthias

    In the end Pogany did NOT crack under the pressure and delivered two perfect passes:heart:

    Yes aftera few mistakes she did a good job! And Bongearts didn't lose her head;)

    Congrats Stuttgart! Finally all the money they spend got paid off. If Dumancic had contributed just a little bit, life would have been easier for Schwerin.

    For the sake of completeness...


    Stuttgart - Schwerin 3:2 (25:12 25:20 14:25 24:26 15:11)

    http://live.volleyball-bundesliga.de/2018-19/Women/2526.pdf

    MVP: Krystal Rivers (29 pts, 55%) / McKenzie Adams


    I think Geerties should have been Schwerin's MVP (not that anyone cares today), without her serves and most of all her spirit Schwerin probably couldn't have returned at all after being 0:2 down.


    Final ranking of the season:

    1. Allianz MTV Stuttgart -> Champions League

    2. SSC Palmberg Schwerin -> CEV Cup

    3. SC Potsdam -> CEV Cup (?)

    3. Ladies in Black Aachen -> Challenge Cup (?)

    5. Dresdner SC -> Challenge Cup (?)

    6. Rote Raben Vilsbiburg

    7. USC Münster

    8. VC Wiesbaden

    9. VfB Suhl Lotto Thüringen

    10. NawaRo Straubing

    11. Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt

    12. VCO Berlin

    It's sad that only the champion will be playing CL next season:( Both Stuttgart and Schwerin did a good job this year in CL and Schwerin could do a better job than teams who are going to play in CL.

    According to 2020 CEV European Cup Ranking Lists, the Number of Admissible Teams for Germany is

    1 CL (4th Rd)

    2 CEV Cup

    1 Challenge Cup


    Therefore,

    1. Allianz MTV Stuttgart -> Champions League 4th round

    2. SSC Palmberg Schwerin -> CEV Cup

    3. SC Potsdam -> CEV Cup

    4. Ladies in Black Aachen -> Challenge Cup

    5. Dresdner SC -> nothing

    This is a historic success for the city of Stuttgart in this sport: 28 years after the last (pure Western) German title of the legendary CJD Feuerbach (three times champion, four times DVV cup winner, once winner of lowest (equivalent Challenge Cup) European Cup) Allianz MTV Stuttgart wins the trophy, which truly counts. So my sense, that this will happen this season was right at the end, Rivers being a phenomenal championship joker (won last season with Béziers the French Championship) and last but not least the best fans of the league - already after two sets I had some minor permanent felt noise in the ears, we were extremely loud and supportive today - this can't be matched by Schwerin or Dresden. And this time no major injury of an important player was in the way, the injury of Julia Schäfer (bad luck for her of cause) was too late and not important enough to ruin things this time (the last three seasons Stuttgart always lost an important OH in the course of the season, latest at the begin of the finals). It is also some justice for a team, which had much bad luck in this regard before... Finally luckily the boring dominance of the Eastern clubs Dresden and Schwerin was broken, who won every championship since 2011 with Vilsbiburg being the last champion from the Western states 2010.

    First consequences of the title and many years playing in Stuttgart are known now: Micheli Tomazela Pissinato (middle), Renata Sandor (OH) and Molly McCage (middle!) cease their careers, i.e. the last I can't believe: Molly told, she had (of course) offers from other leagues, but terminates her career immediately, not willing even to play with NT anymore this summer (that explains, why she is not with them). So the sports loses a middle, who could have made a great career in Italy too... but she is homesick and wants to go back to USA, where no serious professional league exists.

    Well, that now makes a lot of sense about Molly not playing with the NT this summer! She just got engaged over the holidays and I believe her fiancé has retired from volleyball as of last year. Will miss seeing her playing. But great to go out on that high of a note!

    I can't tell you much about the contracts of Stuttgarts players in the season coming for now; it was just confirmed, that Sarah Wilhite goes to Brazil and that there are negotiations with US college star Mikaela Foecke (as expected). But anyway, I will create very early the new seasons thread, despite there are not many players known for next season yet generally and officially the league didn't confirm yet the league of 11 professional teams only, the same as in this season without VCO Berlin with special license, which will play in second league North.