“Winning a set or maybe two sets there would at least give us the feeling that we can do it,” said Kaweh Niroomand, managing director of BR Volleys, before the quarter-final first leg in the Champions League in Trentino, Italy. However, this wish of the 69-year-old did not come true. The volleys lost 3-0 against the big favorite and three-time Champions League winner, whom Niroomand had not described as a “very heavy chunk” for no reason.
Before the second leg on Wednesday in the Max-Schmeling-Halle (6:30 p.m., streamed live on rbb|24) the Berliners are therefore faced with a mammoth task. In order to go further, the volleys would have to win against the previous year’s finalists 3:0 or 3:1 and then also win a so-called “golden set” (a decisive set of up to 15 points). National player Ruben Schott is nevertheless certain that his team can make it through to the next round.
Around 2,500 fans in the hall
“Everything!” said the 27-year-old resolutely and without hesitation when asked what was still possible for the Berliners in the quarter-finals against Itas Trentino. “That’s the nice thing about volleyball, it’s a whole new game and you start all over again.” The outside attacker relies on the support of the spectators in his own hall on Wednesday. Around 2,500 fans can support the Berliners in the second leg of the quarter-finals in the Schmeling Hall.
Schott knows only too well that this can be a decisive factor and that volleys have also helped to achieve great performances in the past. “I still have a few games in mind when I was younger and we played in the Champions League in the Max-Schmeling-Halle. It was always a great crowd and we were able to beat one or two favorites,” remembers bulkhead That’s why everything is still possible on Wednesday, he says.
Service game should get better
In the first leg, however, the Berliners had their problems. In the second period in particular, Cedric Enard’s team saw very little ground and, although the first and third sections were more even, had to admit defeat with a clear 0:3. “In particular, our serve pressure was missing in the first leg,” criticizes Schott. “We’re actually a team that usually gets a lot from the serves. That made the difference, especially in the tight first set.”
The information on the weekend in the first came much better Bundesliga playoff game against Giesen. Here, the Berliners clearly won 3-0 and thus gained self-confidence for Wednesday. The good performance should give the Berliners a tailwind for the knockout game against Trentino.
Schott: Ko games with special tension
However, Schott does not believe that this is necessary at all. “There’s a whole different level of tension in knockout games,” he explains. “You know: We only have this one chance. But of course the opponents have it in their heads too. It just arouses completely different emotions.”
Emotions that, despite the clear defeat in the first leg, should give the volleys the feeling that they can still do it.
Broadcast: rbb24, 03/14/22, 6 p.m
Source: rbb