VfB Friedrichshafen is once again in the final of the German championship. In the fifth and decisive semi-final, the team from Lake Constance won against the Helios Grizzlys Giesen with 3:1 (19:25, 26:24, 25:22, 25:22).
The law of the series is clever – much to the delight of VfB Friedrichshafen. Coach Mark Lebedev’s team won 3-1 in the fifth playoff semi-final in Giesen and is in the final for the German championship. This meant that the Grizzlys lost their clean slate in the Hildesheim Arena, the so-called “Giesen Fortress”. The Lower Saxony team had won all of their home games so far this season. This means they miss their first entry into the final.
Coach Lebedev, who was leaving at the end of the season, said before the final meeting: “It’s like a fifth set. It’s not a coin toss, but it’s ‘all or nothing’. The game has a completely different character than the previous ones.”
Giesen came into the game much better and quickly led 7:3. After a time out, the Häfler fought back and equalized to 9:9. But the Grizzlys seemed more determined and secured the narrow points, so that they finally took the first set with 25:19.
VfB Friedrichshafen with a comeback in the second set
In the second set, Giesen started strong again and quickly led 9:2. But VfB showed itself to be resilient and combative. The team from Lake Constance gradually reduced the deficit, cheering each other on again and again, but still never led and had to fend off two set points when the score was 22:24. The Häflers succeeded, with an energetic performance and a total of four points in a row, the second set went to Friedrichshafen 26:24.
In the third set, VfB was dominant from the start. The Lebedev team took the lead early on and kept it constant. With the score at 24:20, Friedrichshafen had three set points, the Häflers finally used the third to make it 25:22 and take the set lead 2-1.
VfB now had the upper hand. In the fourth set, Friedrichshafen took an early 8:4 lead, but Giesen fought back and finally equalized to 18:18. But in the end the Häflers had better nerves. They won the set, the match and thus the semi-final series with 25:22.
Now a long-time rival awaits
In the finals for the championship, Friedrichshafen will face defending champions Berlin Recycling Volleys, who have not lost a match in the knockout games so far. The final will also be held according to the “best of five” format. Berlin can win its eighth title in a row, for VfB it would be the first triumph since 2015.
Broadcast on Thursday, April 11, 2024 6:00 a.m., SWR Aktuell in the morning, SWR Aktuell
