VfB Friedrichshafen is in the quarter-finals of the Volleyball Champions League for the first time since 2018. For a long time it looked like a missed opportunity.
VfB Friedrichshafen withstood the pressure and fought its way into the quarter-finals of the CEV Champions League. After winning 3-0 in the first leg, the volleyball team from Lake Constance also narrowly won the second leg against French club Tours VB 3-2 (21:25, 15:25, 25:18, 25:21 15:10).
However, it took VfB Friedrichshafen a while to get into the game and initially let the French pull away by three points. Coach Mark Lebedew’s team was able to get a point in the middle of the first set, but Friedrichshafen had to concede the first set 21:25 to the French.
The third sentence brings the turning point for Friedrichshafen
In the second set, too, the Häfler had little to oppose the French. A strong performance by Tours’ Brazilian Aboubacar Drame Neto and six penalties of his own led to a clear 15:25. Head coach Lebedev was audibly pissed off. “We have to get faster, mentally and with our eyes,” said the 55-year-old.
The speech worked: Friedrichshafen was much more concentrated in the third set, took the lead early on and was able to continuously extend the lead, thanks in particular to diagonal attacker Michał Superlak. Was that 25:18 in the third set the turning point?
Friedrichshafen against old friends in the quarterfinals.
Friedrichshafen started the fourth set well. Žiga Štern, who was completely beside himself in the first two sets, found his old strength again and, together with Superlak, ensured a deserved 25:21 win – that was the entry into the quarter-finals. The 15:10 in the fifth set actually only had statistical value.
“We like comebacks, especially against French clubs,” joked MVP Superlak. He praised the mentality of the Häfler and is looking forward to the quarter-final opponent Jastrzebski Wegiel. The two teams have already met twice in the group stage. Friedrichshafen lost both games 1:3 and 0:3. The first leg will be played on March 7th in Neu-Ulm and on March 15th at the Polish club.
