Defending champion Berlin Volleys suffered the next setback in the fight for the German volleyball championship.
Four days after the 2:3 home defeat, the team also lost the second final game against VfB Friedrichshafen in Ulm with 1:3 (25:21, 23:25, 22:25, 24:26) and is now in the best of five series with 0:2 behind. The Friedrichshafener could already secure their 14th championship title in the third meeting of the two teams in Berlin on Saturday.
In front of around 2,000 spectators in the Arena Ulm, the guests only put their opponents under pressure with good serves at the beginning. Towards the end of the first round, external attacker Ruben Schott gave the Berliners the decisive advantage with his point to 23:21.
In the second set, the BR Volleys gradually made up for a six-point deficit (4:10). With a two-man block by Nehemiah Mote and Timothee Carle, they even managed to equalize at 23:23. The then controversial 25th point for Friedrichshafen enraged Volleys captain Sergej Grankin so much that he kicked the referee’s chair angrily.
With a strong block defense and a much better body language, Friedrichshafen largely determined the third set. The BR Volleys had another chance to at least reach the tie break when Mote made the lead 21:20 with a block in the fourth section and Grankin managed to make it 23:22 a little later. At 24:23, the Berliners had a set ball, but could not capitalize on it either.
