The highlight of the year is pending for German volleyball players: the World Cup in Thailand. Lina Alsmeier and the DVV team want to cause a sensation and work on the very big dream.
The sweat flows properly these days in the renowned Olympic and Paralympic training center in Kienbaum. On the one hand, this ensures the warm August temperatures, but also the intensive training sessions in the large ball sports halls that the German volleyball players complete. National coach Giulio Bregoli gives the national team the finishing touches for the World Cup (August 22nd to September 7th).
Right in the middle: national player Lina Alsmeier, who is impressed by the good training conditions. “Kienbaum is the place where we always like to return“, says the 25-year-old attacker. This also contributes to the calm that the team finds in the Brandenburg forest and lake area.”We are like a bubble here and can concentrate entirely on the training “according to the national player, who likes to relax on the nearby Liebenberger See.
Acclimatize For Thailand
And sometimes very hot temperatures? “Maybe that’s not that bad, so we can get used to the events in Thailand”says Alsmeier in an interview with the sports show.
Good preparation, good results in the recent past: There are currently some reasons to go to the World Cup tournament optimistically. After all, the team has recently developed very positively, says Lina Alsmeier.
“We are super ambitious”she says “And very balanced. Each of us can score whether it is the first seven or the players who come in. That may make us a little more unpredictable.”
“We are among the top ten in the world”
The positive development was visible in the past Nations League when the Germans took a good seventh place. It was only in the quarter -finals against Brazil. The team also released the ticket for the European Championship. “I think we are now part of the top ten in the world”says the Emsbüren native, who has been playing in Italy for two years and is currently under contract with Agil Volley Novara. Especially in defensive work, the team made progress under coach Bregoli.
Alsmeier with her team also wants to confirm this trend in Thailand and definitely do it better than at the last World Cup 2022, when the Germans only took the 14th place. In the group games against Kenya (August 23), Vietnam (August 25th) and Poland (27.8.) This time, at least groupplace two and thus the progress will jump out. The Germans have an invoice with the Polishes, against whom there were always bitter defeats.
Unrest in the border region should not burden
The German internationals also dealt with the fact that there was recently unrest in the World Cup exhibition country. However, she and her teammates did not feel great stress. Those responsible would have taken the greatest concerns, especially since the German team in the Phuket provincial region performs their group games. This region is currently not affected by the fights.
At the end of July it was Conflict in the border region between Thailand and Cambodia escalated. Tens of thousands of people have been on the run since then. The Volleyball World Association FIVB had thought about a dismissal of the World Cup because of the arguments, but then decided on an issue.
Jubilant about a point with Lina Alsmeier (left)
The big dream is called Olympics in LA
So now the whole focus of the DVV women applies to the successful performance at the World Cup tournament. In addition, Lina Alsmeier has an even higher goal in mind. “The Olympic Games in Los Angeles are our big dream. Each of us wants to go”according to the player. The Germans briefly missed the games in Paris last year. “That was a bad feeling, we don’t want to experience that again”she recalls.
The ticket for La 2028 would mean eleventh place in the world rankings. Already in Thailand, Lina Alsmeier and her teammates can collect important points for this – a big incentive for everyone to live the Olympic dream.