The Berlin Volleys are in danger of being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Volleyball Champions League. In the first leg against last year’s finalist Itas Trentino, the German champions lost 3-0 on Thursday evening (25:27, 19:25, 22:25).
In order to progress, the Berliners would have to win 3-0 or 3-1 in the second leg next Wednesday and then also win a golden set.
The BR Volleys initially put up a tough fight against the opponent with a good serve and stable reception. In the first set, a one-block by captain Sergej Grankin to 13:11 gave the guests a two-point lead for the first time. The team lost this lead at 18:16 due to a 0:4 series, but still fought its way into the extension of the sentence. There the Italians had the better end with the third set ball.
Itas Trentino then took over with the two ex-Berliners Julian Zenger and Srecko Lisinac.
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The substitutions of Marek Sotola and Samuel Tuia for the volleys did not change the balance of power. The hosts dominated the second round with the scores of 10:4 and 17:9.
The Berliners made the final section exciting again. Ruben Schott in particular provided important points in the final phase of the set. At 21:21, however, the Italians took a two-point lead.