The Berlin Volleys have pushed the door to the final of the German Volleyball Championship very wide. In the semi-final series based on the best-of-five format, the defending champion took a 2-0 lead with a 3-1 win at SWD powervolleys Düren on Saturday. With another win against the Rhinelanders in their own hall on Wednesday, the Berliners would already be in the final for the twelfth time in a row.
The current performance level of the BR Volleys still seems to be expandable. “We have to get rid of the snags that we always have from time to time,” demanded Ruben Schott after the game in front of 2,237 spectators in Düren. As a receptionist, the 28-year-old is usually a big part of the team. His serve is feared by opponents, his acceptance behavior is considered largely safe.
But Schott – like the whole team – remained below his potential in the two previous semi-final encounters with Düren. “In the first game I was dissatisfied with myself. But the game now was a step in the right direction for me personally”, he registers a slight upward trend. And he also knows about his versatility: “If things don’t go well for me in attack, maybe I can help our team in other areas as well.”
Overall, the performances of the BR Volleys are currently strangely cramped. There is little sign of joy in playing, the players consistently practice volleyball as hard work in this semi-final. “Düren sometimes makes it quite difficult for us, but we also make it difficult for ourselves,” says Schott.
However, the statistics showed that the BR Volleys on Saturday were superior in the important elements of block, serve and acceptance. The fact that four players scored in the double-digit range speaks for the variability of the attacking play of the winner: Marek Sotola (18), Ruben Schott (13), Anton Brehme (12) and Cody Kessel (10).
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