Posts by StefanS

Quote from Matthias

I agree with Azvin. The next logical step for Schwerin would be to let the team start in 2nd league because the chances to win a title there are much bigger than in 1st league

I have only explained the motivation of Schweriner SC revealed by those articles - I agree with you both, because I think too, this is a wrong approach. The higher level the competition is, the more interesting for spectators and players it is too, even though it straightforward decreases chances to win.

For example Stuttgarts trial to play Champions League last season couldn't be justified at all with that sort of thinking. But it was an interesting and fascinatiing experience, although this competition is too hard for our VBL clubs considered rationally and it was no easy task to get it financed at all.

Today there are two articles, which confirmed the only idea I had, what could be the reason: Schweriner SC thinks, they can't get any further in CEV Cup then semi final as last season, because Bundesliga clubs are then eliminated routinely by a powerhouse from Istanbul or Russia, but could win Challenge cup like CSM Bukarest did the last time or Dresdner SC in 2010:

http://www.nnn.de/regionales/n…nen-titel-id13728161.html

Quote from MariaOzawaFan

Great news.

Where is the good news from ?

From Volleyball magazine online:

http://volleyball.de/misc/wechselboerse/frauenwechselboerse/

Valerie Nichol stays with Allianz MTV Stuttgart in this coming season - she was an important part of the strong team performance.

Today was announced, what we already knew partly:

Dresdner SC goes directly into CL group phase
Allianz MTV Stuttgart goes directly to CEV Cup knockout phase, skipping the CL qualification trial they could have participated in too

Rote Raben Vilsbiburg takes one of the open berths, after VC Wiesbaden and USC Münster didn't announce participation: the surprise is, that they go also directly into CEV Cup, not into Challenge Cup like last year, when situation was similar for them.

And the last surprise is: Schweriner SC went down, takes part into Challenge Cup instead of CEV Cup: calculate they better chances in this lower grade competition?

Quote from Matthias

She was deleted from Stuttgart's roster on VBL site also for current season and there was no mention of her at all in any article from Stuttgart, so I assumed she wouldn't return next season...

I think, this is a misunderstanding: when it became clear, that Mari couldn't play in season 15/16 anymore due to her shoulder injury, and after finishing the European Cups with their bigger demand of number of players, she was no longer listed as available consequently, for example to recycle her number for another player (Alexandra Bura from the second team). But the option for season 16/17 of Allianz MTV Stutgart still exists, she accompanied the team until the very last game on 2. May 2016 in Dresden and the negotiations about player contracts are largely not finished. So it is open IMHO currently, if the option is taken or another outside hitter is engaged for the last open position (three are already fixed).

By the way, I'm not sure even with Köpenick, if they manage to survive economically. The silence from there is rather suspicious and in the last years they had often a hard time to get the money required to stay in the first league. Although they succeeded since 2005 every year with it, this means nothing due to the increased prerequisites by the VBL.

Quote from Matthias

Coach: Guillermo Hernandez (ESP)

S:

OPP:

OH:
Kim Renkema (NED, 1987)
Renata Sandor (HUN, 1990)
Michaela Mlejnkova (CZE, 1996)

MB:
Jennifer Pettke (GER, 1989)

L:

Leaving:
Femke Stoltenborg
Kaja Grobelna (Lodz)
Jelena Wlk (retired)
Mari Aase Hole
Nichole Lindow (retired)

Display More

I have no knowledge, that Mari Hole will leave the team: where this information comes from?

So the prospect is not good: it seems, that Straubing, Suhl and Aachen will exit late (and be punished therefore financially, by the way) first Bundesliga. Only Hamburg had chosen a clean exit, not to demand a license at all for the first, now playing in the second next season.

And with those many clubs getting out this will pose additional issues, because only the second league south has two empty spots (would suffice for Straubing and Suhl), but not the north, so Aachen can not get into second without complications (for example enforced descend of RC Scorpese to third).

Quote from Workout

Kaja Grobelna in Budowlani... So will Twardowska sit on a bench because Łódź helps Belgian NT?
It was told that there will be a big famous name as OPP in Łódź. And then, they wanted to have second young player? Funny...

Kaja Grobelna is very good, her transfer is definitely a loss for Allianz MTV Stuttgart.

Yesterday publicly announced: both the second and third of Polish championship, Atom Trefl Sopot and Impel Wroclaw (Breslau) withdrew from CL 2017.

Sopot claimed financial reasons (would have a fixed place in group phase) and Wroclaw, that it is designed only for potential winners now, so they don't take part in CL qualification process. (also two PlusLiga clubs withdraw, Gdansk (Danzig) and Lubin)

This bad reaction by Polish clubs is no good news for this new format. Only champion Chemik Police will take part with its fixed berth in the CL.

That nothing was generally reported nor the list of participants published yet, is a clear sign IMHO, that they are clueless at CEV now...

Regarding Bundesliga: there is a multitude of reasons, why we do not better in international comparison, what is a pity, especially because volleyball playing at schools is widespread: too low ranking against another teamsports here (there is soccer in the first three places felt, than handball, basketball and icehockey, and only afterwards volleyball), too scarce serious education places for young ambitioned players (just four centers of national importance in Münster, Schwerin, Dresden, Stuttgart) and too bad job future perspectives, and beach volleyball seems to large parts of the young players more attractive... Under these circumstances even our strongest clubs in Germany like Dresden, Stuttgart and Schwerin can't keep up with superior clubs from leagues like Italy or Poland, not to speak of Turkey and Russia at all. Dresden will have the hardest time ever in coming CL, and it was straightforward for Stuttgart to give up CL qualification process (because it was hopeless, like Wroclaw stated as even stronger team) and to join Schwerin in CEV cup...

Quote from MariaOzawaFan

USC Münster will not play CEV cup.
http://www.wn.de/Sport/Lokalsp…et-auf-Europapokal-Abende

I expected this decision after they lost roundabout 200.000 Euro compared to last season regarding available money - they just couldn't afford it financally (requires at least 12 players and costs a lot due to voyages and so on).

Quote from Matthias

Replacing Love with Lippmann....I guess that means that Turner will play many times as OPP next season again. If Alex Waibl hasn't managed to make a top player out of Lippmann, I doubt that Felix can do it. I hope I'm wromg, Louisa has incredible athletic potential but so far she hasn't managed to bring her volleyball skills to the same level. What's the use of jumping high and hitting hard when you can't control where the ball goes?

I think Louisa Lippmann deserves a fair chance - eventual she can get in shape there?

It seems, that Louisa Lippmann goes from Dresden to Schwerin.

In Stuttgart chances are not bad, that Allianz MTV can keep Kaja Grobelna for next season.

Quote from Matthias

I understand their arguments, but honestly I think without playing CL this season they wouldn't have reached the final in the league. Sure, they lost Sandor and a lot of money, but IMO it was very important for the young players to play against some very strong teams, and they actually learned to win against stronger teams in CL, beating both Baku teams at home. I believe that this was a very important experience for the team that helped them in the playoffs.

I agree, that the experiences of the CL made our team stronger in this season - but we stand simply no chance to qualify again with this new mode, because there are just four qualification spots and too many strong (superior) teams to grab them (i.e. Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL, Dynamo KRASNODAR, Impel WROCLAW (Breslau), Nordmeccanica PIACENZA).

Because of lack of chances against some of the biggest clubs of Turkey, Russia, Poland and Italy, the too big load of additional matches for our players and considering this adventure as being too expensive, tendency is not to participate. It seems, that we are allowed to play directly in the CEV cup instead, which would be also the natural result when participating in the CL qualification rounds. And finances are still modest (nearly 1 Mio. Euro for 2016/17), so we have nothing to waste regarding money. Therefore at least Stuttgart and Schwerin (1.3 Mio. Euros) are supposed to take part directly in the CEV cup next season.

Now season is over, as number 7 of national leagues currently, belonging to the group of four from 5 to 8, Bundesliga gets formally following clubs for the competitions:

Champion Dresden gets directly into the CL group phase (they are happy,that they do - but group phase is even harder than last time )
Vice champion Stuttgart has to play the new CL qualification with up to three rounds, no reason known, why we would not do so
Bronze medallists Schwerin and Münster deserve berths directly in the CEV cup, regarding Münster: I'm not sure they can or want to afford it financially (!)
Fifth Wiesbaden is also searching for a European cup sponsor to get the extra finances for Challenge cup (they obviously don't want to shorten financing of other parts due to CEV participation)

I think Stuttgarts players were just too tired, physically and mentally, to fight back as before, while Dresdens players could better overcome their tiredness pushed by the spectators - and remember, they had lots of chances to exchange outside hitters, which helped a lot too.

But next season Stuttgart has chances to win the championship when having not so much bad luck as in this season (lost three of five total OHs and very bad draw in CL and CEV cup challenge round with maximum load on the team).

Regretfully I couldn't manage to travel to Dresden today to watch this last match of season 2015/6 live - but I guess, either Dresden wins in three or four sets or Stuttgart in the tie-break. Pressure is high, it is impossible to predict mental reactions of both teams completely. Dresden has more to lose, they will not get into CL again when failing in this match...

Quote from TimHH

Good to see, our sports gets the attendances it deserves

21 blocks for stuttgart?

Yes, especially Dresdens best spikers were regularly blocked: Mikhailenko 5 times, Bartsch 7 times and Izquierdo 6 times (18 in total against these three alone). It seems, Allianz MTV Stuttgart learned something from the mighty Russian blocks when losing clearly against the Dynamos of Kazan and Krasnodar, but at least analyzed and prepared for the Dresnder main spikers very well.

Our Stuttgarter "drama queens" did it again - they have truely nerves of steel. And they want really badly to win the championship.

By the way, I didn't mention, that 1987 the CJD Feuerbach lost in Sindelfingen in front of 4811 spectators (sold tickets, to be more precise) against dominant force than, Bayern Lohhof. So Allianz MTV Stuttgart was also better to win now.

Regarding final match in Dresden: anything can happen, because now pressure builds up for DSC, while Stuttgart still has nothing to lose. Mental and physical aspects may become dominant in this match, eventually deciding the whole championship in a tie-break?

And remember, that MTV has now (so far I know) arrived on another (insane) record: 46 matches of duty they will have played (DSC one less) on Monday late evening since October 2015. Somebody has to be blamed for creating such dense playing schedules... (8 matches in European cups (6 round play CL, two challenge round CEV cup), four in DVV cup, 24 league round, two quaterfinals, three semi finals and now the full five final matches... physically most players are on the brink now, but DSC fares not much better of course.