Germany - VBL 1. Bundesliga 2025/26

    Akimoto is absent due to back problems and Lorber Fijok is playing terribly so far which means trouble for Dresden. Also 11 errors in 1st set for Dresden :white:


    I hope Bregoli will try using Sambale as receiving libero and Nestler as defending libero in NT this summer, it would be a good combination. Nestler is shaky in reception but very good in defense.

    Stuttgart - Dresden 2:3 stats

    MVP: Melani Shaffmaster / Larissa Winter


    What a weird match, Stuttgart looked like the better team for like 90% of the time but simply couldn't finish it. And even in the moments when they played well they were far from convincing, actually right now I think Suhl is the main candidate to win the title :white:

    Winter and Entius made a big impact coming in in 4th set, but voting Winter as MVP still is a choice. I think in all the time she was on court she set one single ball to the middles :gone:


    2nd matches played on Wednesday, Stuttgart is under pressure to win in Dresden but they certainly have the ability to do so. I wouldn't be surprised to see both series to a 3rd match (actually I hope they will :super:).

    Quote from fire_erik_sullivan

    (Not to jinx)

    But when was the last final without Stuttgart or Schwerin

    Had to check it, 2013/14 the final series was Dresden vs Vilsbiburg (Dresden won 3-0). Btw it was the season when Michelle Bartsch played in Vilsbiburg as a totally unknown player. Stuttgart was eliminated by Suhl in the pre-playoffs and Schwerin lost their quarterfinal series against Aachen.

    Quote from Matthias

    Had to check it, 2013/14 the final series was Dresden vs Vilsbiburg (Dresden won 3-0). Btw it was the season when Michelle Bartsch played in Vilsbiburg as a totally unknown player.

    speaking that energy into Kenzie foley


    also that’s kinda wild? MBH had a fairly successful NCAA career (was before my time) but I guess the relationship with the ncaa was way different back then

    Quote from fire_erik_sullivan

    speaking that energy into Kenzie foley


    also that’s kinda wild? MBH had a fairly successful NCAA career (was before my time) but I guess the relationship with the ncaa was way different back then

    Well when Bartsch came to Germany nobody here ever seemed to have heard about her (and she didn't look like a pro athlete like at all :gone:). She was solid in Vilsbiburg but it was Alex Waibl who in her time in Dresden brought her to a really high level.

    IMHO Suhl has no chance to win the championship because of their too small usable roster, they will run out of steam in the final series at least.

    Quote from StefanS

    IMHO Suhl has no chance to win the championship because of their too small usable roster, they will run out of steam in the final series at least.

    That might be a factor, but in case Dresden is their opponent, things aren't that different there on some positions. And Konstantin Bitter showed that making substitutions isn't always a good idea :whistle:

    Quote from forzalube

    What happened to Stuttgart in last part of the season? They were so dominant till few weeks ago...

    In most sports playoff competition is a different kind of the game. Stuttgart wouldn’t be the first team that’s folding in the playoffs after playing an almost impeccable regular season.


    Some teams just aren‘t made for playoff success because they are lacking players who can squeeze out their very best in these situations

    Stuttgart was missing a leader yesterday. Someone who lifts the team up, motivates them in difficult times. Someone like Fijok in Dresden.


    Instead, they have Toni Stautz, who can't hide her bad mood when things aren't going well and infects her team with it. Even yesterday, she was annoyed with herself and her team in the match and didn't participate in the MVP ceremony afterwards. As captain, she should be the one to lift the team's spirits. Don't get me wrong. She's a great volleyball player, but sometimes I feel her own ambitions are getting in the way of herself and the team.

    I think in general Stuttgart isn't mentally very strong for various reasons. They can play very well, but as soon as opponents get into their head, they can also completely fall apart. Remember the Cup final, Suhl destroyed them for two sets, Varela served them back into the match but once they were close to winning, they couldn't finish it. In the playoff quarterfinals they lost two close sets against a very weak team despite winning the other sets very clearly, so it's clear that they lose more to themselves than to the opponent sometimes.

    Yesterday in some way was a replay of the Cup final in 5th set. Leading by 3 pts towards the end Stuttgart looked absolutely sure of already having won the match but simply failed to score the last point, they looked rather pissed how Dresden could dare to fight until the end and not just let them win :aww:


    Another factor IMO is coaching. Bitter seems to do a good job preparing the team because after all they are capable of playing well, but some of his decisions are questionable. Ever since Kästner has recovered it's totally unclear who is the team's 1st setter, IMO it should be Shaffmaster because with her the team simply plays better. So why did he start Kästner for tie-break yesterday? Also Mogensen played very well in 1st set, then after one or two mistakes in the beginning of 2nd set he took her out for Holthaus whose reception harmed the team a lot in the long run, and when Mogensen returned her confidence was completely gone, she was done for the match and they were stuck with Holthaus who did well in attack but was simply too vulnerable and exploited by Dresden's serves. I also don't understand why Gross is starting over Koulberg these days.

    Quote from Matthias

    I think in general Stuttgart isn't mentally very strong for various reasons. They can play very well, but as soon as opponents get into their head, they can also completely fall apart. Remember the Cup final, Suhl destroyed them for two sets, Varela served them back into the match but once they were close to winning, they couldn't finish it. In the playoff quarterfinals they lost two close sets against a very weak team despite winning the other sets very clearly, so it's clear that they lose more to themselves than to the opponent sometimes.

    Yesterday in some way was a replay of the Cup final in 5th set. Leading by 3 pts towards the end Stuttgart looked absolutely sure of already having won the match but simply failed to score the last point, they looked rather pissed how Dresden could dare to fight until the end and not just let them win :aww:


    Another factor IMO is coaching. Bitter seems to do a good job preparing the team because after all they are capable of playing well, but some of his decisions are questionable. Ever since Kästner has recovered it's totally unclear who is the team's 1st setter, IMO it should be Shaffmaster because with her the team simply plays better. So why did he start Kästner for tie-break yesterday? Also Mogensen played very well in 1st set, then after one or two mistakes in the beginning of 2nd set he took her out for Holthaus whose reception harmed the team a lot in the long run, and when Mogensen returned her confidence was completely gone, she was done for the match and they were stuck with Holthaus who did well in attack but was simply too vulnerable and exploited by Dresden's serves. I also don't understand why Gross is starting over Koulberg these days.

    For the Mogensen to Holthaus substitution I have seen at least one reason: the latter did better long line attacks which was tactically an advantage. But for sure we lost against Galatasaray not only for players, but also for coaching - remember, we can't afford so expensive players or coaches like Gala can.

    And don't forget, this Stuttgart team has a totally different charachter than the team from last season: than Krystal Rivers, kind of mental monster, was the key player, and she got stronger and tougher in critical situations and important moments. Currently we have not that one key player, which takes the lead in these moments.