The German volleyball players lost their second game in the Nations League against Italy.
The German volleyball players lost their second game in the Nations League against Italy 1:3 (16:25, 16:25, 25:21, 22:25).
This put an initial damper on the Olympic hopes. The day before, Germany won its opening match against France.
Problems with the serve
In Antalya, Turkey, national coach Alexander Waibl’s team initially couldn’t find its rhythm and had major problems with the Italians’ serves. In addition, attacks repeatedly failed due to the block defense.
The Germans then fought their way into the game and were already ahead in the fourth set. But in the wild final phase the Italians had the better end for themselves.
Fears about the Olympics
The German team missed the direct Olympic qualification for Paris. The world rankings now offer the last chance. To do this, the selection has to catch up on points in the twelve preliminary round games at three different locations during the VNL.
Since Italy is ahead of Germany in the ranking, a win would have brought a particularly high number of points. Germany is currently in twelfth place and should jump to at least tenth place. The games against direct competition from the Netherlands (May 19th) and Canada (May 30th) will be particularly important. On Friday, Germany meets Japan (4 p.m.).
