The German volleyball players failed in the round of 16 because of favorite Poland. The team of national coach Vital Heynen lost 0: 3 (22:25, 20:25, 24:26) against the Eastern Europeans in Brussels on Sunday evening (27.08.2023).
After key player Hanna Orthmann was injured in the preliminary round, Germany failed to find an allegedly easier path in the knockout rounds.
Heynen’s team had already played twice in the Nations League against Poland this year. Both times there were very close defeats. Despite problems in acceptance and some voting problems that cost points, the Germans kept the first set open for a long time on Sunday at Palais 12. But the class of Magdalena Stysiak and Agnieszka Korneluk prevailed.
Olympic qualification missed – Hölzig injured
The four-point lead of the Germans in the second round only lasted for a short time. Korneluk presented the DVV selection with their blocks before big problems. Again, the Germans made mistakes that were too easy at important moments.
Annegret Hölzig ended up unlucky after a point in the third set and injured herself. She was taken off the field on a stretcher. The team was clearly emotionally attacked, but fought back to a lead. But again the Poles kept the better end to themselves.
The German team also missed the goal of making up points in the world rankings at the European Championships, which should be one of the decisive factors for Olympic qualification for 2024. In the Olympic qualification tournament from mid-September, in which two teams from three groups of eight will secure the ticket, the Germans have caught a difficult group. The second chance is then the world rankings.