The BR Volleys qualify with some effort for the final series in the volleyball league. After the intense games against Frankfurt, VfB Friedrichshafen is now waiting as usual. Volleys coach Cedric Enard warns of the permanent rival.
Tough game, maximum success: In the fourth game, the Berlin Volleys drew the line under the playoff semifinals for the German volleyball championship.
“We’re happy to have fought our way into the final,” said team captain Sergej Grankin after the hard-earned 3:1 (29:27, 23:25, 26:24, 25:21) win at United Volleys Frankfurt on Saturday . For the 14th time in the history of the volleyball league and for the ninth time in a row, BR Volleys and VfB Friedrichshafen are now facing each other in the final (best of five).
In the series against Frankfurt, the defending champion prevailed with 3:1 victories against extremely well-fortified Hessen. A pleasant side effect of reaching the final: The Berliners have already qualified for the Champions League again for next season. The latest edition of the eternal duel against Friedrichshafen begins on Holy Saturday in Berlin.
“It will definitely be a big challenge for us, but the motivation to defend our title in this prestigious duel is huge,” said Grankin.
► From the last eight final duels against Friedrichshafen, the Volleys emerged as champions seven times. The team from Lake Constance has had a changeable season with a number of weak phases. “Now we’re approaching a VfB that has been steadily improving lately,” warned Volleys coach Cedric Enard. The Frenchman states: “Friedrichshafen was absolutely convincing in the semi-final against Düren.”
On the other hand, getting to the final was quite difficult for the BR Volleys. The team also needed strong nerves in the last game in Frankfurt. She only won two sets by a minimum of two points, both times going into extra sets. Even the last round was on the brink at 20:21, before an impressive two-man block by Grankin and Jeffrey Jendryk set the course for victory at 22:21.
For Grankin, the performance of the volleys on Saturday was “significantly better” than in the 2-3 defeat at the same place in the second playoff game a week earlier. Nevertheless, the veteran had to concede: “But that was not the level that we have already called up this season.”
