The DVV team around captain Jennifer Janiska (r.) was even able to beat Brazil 3:2 in the last preparation.
Photo: imago/Grold Rebsch
Training camps before big tournaments always have one thing in common: the closer the end comes, the harder it is to wait until the game finally starts. The German volleyball players got this feeling two weeks ago, although they will only start the World Cup tournament in the Netherlands this Sunday. “After seven weeks in Kienbaum, cabin fever has definitely developed in the last few days,” Captain Jennifer Janiska admitted frankly shortly before departure. And national coach Vital Heynen also said with his characteristic sense of humor about the Olympic training center in East Brandenburg: »Seven weeks at Kienbaum are too long. So long in the forest! And you have to walk five kilometers to get a beer outside. We won’t do that again.”
In the meantime, the players and support team from the German Volleyball Association (DVV) have arrived at the venue in Arnhem, where they will first meet Bulgaria. This is followed by duels with Kazakhstan, Serbia, the USA and Canada. ‘This is a very difficult group. If we get out of there, we’ve already achieved something big. And the first game is extremely important for that,” predicts Heynen. In fact, the Olympic champions from the USA and world champions Serbia seem too strong on normal days, so the DVV team will probably fight for the two remaining places in the intermediate round with Canada and Bulgaria in particular.
However, the extremely long preparation also had good sides: The strength and endurance values are right, so that outside attacker Lena Stigrot is not afraid of the tough first days of the World Cup: »Physically we are all on a super good level. So I’m not worried about five games in seven days.« The second insight gained from Kienbaum is that the players have familiarized themselves with the new national coach’s system.
One would even have to say: with the systems. Because even Heynen is still undecided on which players he will start with. Does he dare to play with three outside attackers like in the Nations League to strengthen the defense? Or does he put Kimberly Drewniok on the diagonal position, who can develop even more assertiveness in attack? “I still don’t know. In any case, we don’t have a regular six. We have successfully tested both systems. The hope now is to always use the right system at the right time,” said Heynen. This was most recently achieved at the World Cup dress rehearsal in Berlin, when Brazil, who came second in the Olympics, was defeated 3-2. “The breadth of the squad is our strength. We can change equally in every position. It’s difficult for any opponent to prepare for us. We’re a little lucky bag that can annoy even bigger opponents,” says Janiska from Dresden quite optimistically.
In order to remain as flexible as possible, Vital Heynen left the rough diamond of the DVV at home with 19-year-old middle blocker Anastasia Cekulaev from SC Potsdam. Instead, Heynen preferred to add another outside attacker to the 14-strong squad. “Anastasia did a very good job in the Nations League and also in Kienbaum, but maybe this World Cup is a little too early for her,” the Belgian explained his decision.
After years of rejuvenation under his predecessor Felix Koslowski – there are only five players left from the 2018 World Cup team – Heynen is now taking a slightly different path. With Laura Emonts and Saskia Hippe, he brought two more experienced players back to the national team after a long break. “Now that’s a really interesting mix. Saskia and Laura have gained a lot of experience at club level. They know exactly what their strengths are and can calm things down when necessary,” says Lena Stigrot.
Heynen likes to rely on experienced guys who know different solutions for certain situations. He won the world title with Poland’s men and bronze with Germany in 2014. Now he’s trying his hand at a women’s national team for the first time – in the typical humorous way: “I’ve won two medals at two world championships. But I don’t want to put any pressure on that, it’s just a piece of information,” he told his players at the end of the training camp.
After seven weeks, they now know him well enough to let such tips roll off with the necessary composure. But otherwise, said Stigrot, ‘we absorb all his experience like sponges. There is no pressure, but rather an upswing.« And that is urgently needed. Because the big goal is the Olympics in 2024. After a 20-year break, you finally want to be there again. And the first step on the way to Paris leads to Arnhem.
