Posts by StefanS

Helios wrote:

Will Berlin Recycling Volleys benefit from co-hosting the Champions League Super Finals?

I think that they have sponsors for the costs. On the other hand, it is a nice feat after they lost badly in the pool stage the chances to proceed...

And Magdalena Stysiak now with Budowlani Lodz against former club Chemik Police.

As expected, Volero Le Cannet won (even really easily in three mostly short sets) in Kfar Saba/ISR and advanced as last team to the semis.

Indeed both finals, women's and men's, will take place on the same day (in deviation of the original planning) Saturday 18. May 2019 in Max-Schmeling hall with standard capacity of 8.500 seats in Berlin - the club Berlin Recycling Volleys announced together with the other stakeholders, the CEV and both German DVV and VBL to take care to make it an attractive event.

The expected outcome, but the numbers were not as one-sided, as one could expect: Schwerin was especially serving much better than Dresden and had an advantage too both in attack quotient and blocking. This means, that Schwerin stays in contact to Stuttgart in the league round, while Dresden is now threatened by Potsdam, which has just one point and one win less as Dresden now at the same number of matches played.

Should Stuttgart draw happily Fenerbahce for the quarters and not Novara and neither Eczacibasi: Fenerbahce is not that impressive, that I would exclude the possibility of an upset, despite even Fenerbahce would be the favourite.

It is well possible, because men's co-organizing club Berlin Recycling Volleys is pretty good to fill at least the Max Schmeling hall. Let's wait, what they can do, but it is possible, that they can attract 8.000 visitors I think.

We had only wins of the favourite teams, despite Monza had a more tedious task as expected, winning 1:3 in Kamnik, where Calcit could level the sets to 1:1, but the third set sufficed already for Monza to go to the semis. Newbies Gen-I Nova Gorica had no trouble at home to defeat Kanti Schaffhausen in three and also proceeded to the semis. So we have a semi final Aydin vs. Nova Gorica with Aydin having the return match at home, so they should proceed to the finals, while Monza is now waiting for the winner of the last duel tomorrow of Volero Le Cannet in Kfar Saba, which shouldn't matter, because Monza is the lower half favourite in any case.

Yesterday the Italian federation already leaked (twitter), that the both CL finals will be in Berlin, i.e. the women's final on Saturday, the 18. May 2019. Tomorrow the CEV will officially announce also the hall (either Max Schmeling or Mercedes Benz, the first has 8.500, the latter about 12.000 capacity). Due to their poor results (aside from Stuttgart) no German club will make it to the quarters but one, and that one (Stuttgart) will fail for sure in the quarters or finally in the semis. So they avoid any kind of home advantage, what seems to be part of the final location selection for now.

Today at 18:30 CET at Sport1 (stream and free TV) Schwerin vs. Dresden. Opposed to most times in the past Schwerin is currently the clear-cut favourite, but Dresden has nothing to lose, on the other hand needs urgently a success, because Potsdam could threat even their current third place.

When Busto Arsizio can avoid a non-performance like we have seen in A1 in Firenze at last, they are now even more clear-cut favourites for this competition.

And Alba Blaj is now kind of nightmare for Gala - last season they were kicked of by them in the semis of the CL Final Four (with a totally different roster by the way).

Matthias wrote:

Lisa Thomsen announced that she is definitely going to retire after this season

Only due to certain cirumstances she continued her career for a few years, she wanted to cease it already earlier. So this comes as no surprise.

Not bad, this shows also, that Stuttgart won by quality the final qualification round in CL against Alba Blaj, which is now in the semis of the CEV Cup and secured a medal, with pretty good chances to go to the finals.

And Mulhouse defeated long time rivals Cannes in three sets. They are leading now them by six points already, with one win more. Clearly behind is Volero Le Cannet, which is followed closely by Nantes. If they keep their order and the CEV leagues ranking doesn't change in this regard, Mulhouse and Cannes would qualify for pool stage of CL now and Volero Le Cannet for the qualificiation rounds of CL - but Nantes is a threat for Volero.

Potsdam won a little tedious at home in the MBS hall against Erfurt, but secured three valuable points (four sets). So they could make use of the bad flu luck of Aachen and of the hopeless on the road match of Münster tomorrow in Stuttgart. Suhl could gain one place in the table from Münster for now, Potsdam increased the advantage on place 4 against the following teams, especially Aachen.

Yuri Marichev left the league trailing team Proton Saratov and becomes new head coach of Yenisey Krasnoyarsk, which was not very good performing the last matches. Proton will for sure go down to Vishaya league, if at least one team from there wants to join superleague in the season coming.

Remember, that all four top teams from Istanbul pay salaries beyond imagination for example of German league (VBL) roster players. And on the other hand, there is a not too small number of players in these best Turkish teams earning about 1 million Euro per season or more, with Zhu Ting on top with 1.7 million Euro.

Just discovered: at average 70.000 viewers at Sport1 free TV station on Wednesday for Wiesbaden vs. Vilsbiburg. Not bad, but no good either...

European newbies and Slovenian surprise league leaders GEN-I Nova Gorica pulled off a four set win in Switzerland against more experienced Kanti Schaffhausen, so they are likely to proceed to the semis...