Looking back, it’s hard to imagine: when Volleys coach Cédric Énard and manager Kaweh Niroomand were asked about their goals at the beginning of the season, they were reluctant to respond. This is rather unusual with volleys, because usually there is talk of a double victory: the goal is to win the cup and the championship.
But this season everything was a little different. Completely surprisingly, top players like Sergej Grankin, Benjamin Patch and Samuel Tuia left the club last year and so Énard and Niroomand had to put together a new team within a very short time. A team that was far less experienced and well-rehearsed than the previous . In this respect, the skepticism at the time was entirely justified.
But now, seven months later, the Volleys have exceeded their own expectations: Not only have they lifted the trophy for the first time since 2019, they have also won the championship. Officials and fans looked a little incredulous at the final series of volleys against long-time rivals VfB Friedrichshafen, which was a pure demonstration of power over long stretches. The fact that the Volleys managed to play a brilliant season despite initial hardships is largely due to the fact that they have spread the responsibility over several shoulders.
The key players from last season were missing
In previous years, key players like Grankin and Patch have taken the lead, but this year the entire squad took on what Niroomand called the “leader”. There was Schott growing into his role as captain.
There was Cody Kessel, who brought motivation to the field in difficult situations. There was Johannes Tille, who stepped in for setter Ángel Trinidad and even became a regular. And there were all the other players who did their part so that the volleys lifted the championship trophy for the thirteenth time, despite a difficult starting position.
But despite all the euphoria, the volleyball community is likely to look at the final series with some regret: Unlike in previous years, the volleys in the “Best of five” series only needed three games to be crowned champions. The gap between the Berliners and the rest of the league could hardly have been clearer. Bundesliga clubs like Lüneburg and Giesen have improved significantly. At the national level, the volleys are unrivaled for a long time. Now they can admit that to themselves.
