Timothee Carle (l.) had no chance with the Berlin Volleys against Trentino’s stars around world champion Alessandro Michieletto (r.).
Photo: image/Nordphoto
Countless claps, deafening drums and loud cheers: If it were up to the fans, the Berlin Volleys would have clearly been ahead. Despite the loud support of the 6,847 spectators in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, the German volleyball champion was unable to prevail against Italy’s top team Itas Trentino on Wednesday evening. Once again a season in the Champions League seems to end too early.
The guests dominated from the start and left little room for resistance. 18:25 in the first set. That was clear. With seemingly regained strength, the Berliners returned stronger in the second round until Trentino pulled away unassailable again to 17:12 after a successful series of serves by their star Alessandro Michieletto. A class difference was also clearly visible in sentences two and three (17:25 each). “They are simply an extremely strong blocking and defensive team,” said setter Johannes Tille with envy afterwards.
The Berliners were already aware of the difficulty of defeating this opponent. Nevertheless, the disappointment was great, as Captain Ruben Schott “nd” revealed: “We knew what to expect. I was still hoping that we would play a little better today.” However, their own defense was clearly too weak and no pressure could be built up even with the serves.
The difference between the two clubs is no big secret. Itas Trentino is considered the big favorite in the race for the title in the premier class, which the leaders of the Italian league have already won three times. In contrast, the Berlin team failed in the quarter-finals three years in a row – again and again against Italian teams.
However, they don’t want to give up their dream of progressing: “It doesn’t look any worse than before, we still have the same chances,” emphasized setter Tille. In the second leg next week, however, the Berliners would need a 3-0 or 3-1 in Trent and would then have to win a deciding set. However, after Trentino’s demonstration of power in Berlin, this would be nothing less than a sensation.
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