29/03/2015 16:23
Mission accomplished for BR Volleys, home party follows historic bronze medal!
2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Men
Berlin, Germany, March 29, 2015. A historic day for a historic Final Four tournament at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Germany’s capital got started with hosts BERLIN Recycling Volleys cruising to a 3:2 victory (25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 26-28, 23-21) over Poland’s PGE Skra BELCHATOW in the ‘small final’ to notch their first medal in Europe’s elite league. This is to be added to the bronze medals won by SCC BERLIN – the team’s previous denomination – in the 1999 edition of the CEV Volleyball Cup and in the 2010 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup.
Once more Germany’s ‘Volleyball Temple’ was sold-out for the second and final day of the competition, with more than 9,000 in attendance as the local heroes also claimed Germany’s first medal in the CEV Volleyball Champions League since VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN had lifted the trophy back in 2007. The guys in orange shirts looked more determined than their opponents who had not yet recovered from the disappointment stemming from their heavy semifinal loss to Asseco Resovia RZESZOW on Saturday. Despite missing out on an opportunity to finish it off already in the fourth set, the ‘Berliner’ showed nerves of steel to eventually seize the day at the tie-break after surviving to three match balls for their opponents and get the party started with an ace by Francesco De Marchi!
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Though they had lost their semifinal match with Zenit KAZAN on Saturday, the hosts of the BERLIN Recycling Volleys had nevertheless triggered a real Volleyball fever in Germany and especially in their home town, with news from the opening day of the Final Four tournament making the front page of the Berliner Tagesspiegel and some more newspapers. The Max-Schmeling-Halle was once again fully packed for a bronze medal match that the BERLIN Recycling Volleys and PGE Skra BELCHATOW certainly joined with different feelings. If the hosts could still be happy with the performance they had displayed in their match up with the Russian armada, the players of Skra had definitely travelled to Germany’s capital with different, much higher expectations than to play for the bronze medal but they could not quite deliver in Saturday’s derby with Asseco Resovia RZESZOW.
The match was supposed to be also a volume battle between the respective supporters, with the yellow-and-black crew of Skra being joined by their compatriots from Rzeszow as they cheered their heroes on. The Berlin crowd was just as loud and passionate as their heroes were on a mission for a historic medal in their first Final Four appearance. The last and only German team to claim a podium finish being VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN with their gold medal performance from 2007, the BR Volleys were more than determined to exploit the home advantage to pay back the organisers and their fans with the right reward for their hard work and support, respectively.
After a relatively slow start, they gradually found their rhythm and got up by three points at the first technical time-out (8:5). Skra’s mentor Miguel Angel Falasca stopped the game by the time his team trailed by 8:12; Poland’s champions could again not count on the help of one of their icons, Michal Winiarski, who as on Saturday was once more not included in the starting line-up. The BERLIN Recycling Volleys set the pace of the game also at the second technical break (16:14) with their Dutch middle blocker Rob Bontje looking particularly strong at this stage. Home captain Scott Touzinsky was also on fire and the hosts comfortably brought the opening set to a close at 25-21.
Germany’s champions had laid the foundations of their success with a superb 72% rate in reception and with Skra’s stars still struggling to live up to their status, the BERLIN Recycling Volleys got to the front also early on in the second set (5:3) before BELCHATOW recorded a break of five points to one to claim the lead at the first mandatory break. The eight-time Polish national champions edged ahead halfway through the set (15:10) and at this stage the support of the local fans – always guided by the official mascot Charly – was particularly needed to back up their quest for a medal. The BR Volleys mentor Mark Lebedew decided to substitute Kawika Shoji with his second setter Sebastian Kühner and two aces by Paul Carroll quickly halved the hosts’ gap. Unfortunately, right by the time they had almost got back on track, the Germans failed to capitalise on their chances and ended up trailing again by four points with Mariusz Wlazly and Facundo Conte stepping up their efforts on the other side of the net to chiefly contribute to the final 25-19 for Skra.
Taking a look at the figures, things had completely turned around in the second set, with the BR Volleys’ success rate in reception having dropped down to 33% whilst that same figure had sky-rocketed to 69% for the guys in yellow-and-black shirts. These numbers – combined with the 64% of positive attacks recorded by Skra – well explain the final outcome of the second set but the hosts were certainly not likely to give in that easily. The score remained tight for most of set 3 with the hosts finally back in contention for that much desired medal after claiming a five-point lead (15:10). At this stage, Poland’s Volleyball hero Wlazly was substituted with youngster Maciej Muzaj but their positive run before the second technical time-out proved to be decisive for the hosts who wrapped it up at 25-20 on a spike by their Italian-born outside hitter Francesco De Marchi.
Though things looked pretty good for the ‘Berliner’, they still had to fight hard to accomplish their mission as they lagged behind by as many as four points for most of the fourth set. Skra continued to set the rhythm of the game also after the second technical time-out (20:16) but right by the time a tie-break seemed to be the most likely scenario, the hosts bounced back scoring three in a row. An ace by local favourite Felix Fischer called for the 20 all and the rallies to follow were going to be the ‘hottest’ ones for the BR Volleys in their history. Skra stopped the hosts’ positive run with two consecutive points, got two set balls at 24:22, but missed out on both opportunities to call for a fifth set. Karol Klos served off the bounds to lose yet another chance to prolong the match, and a first opportunity for a sensational home win by the Recycling Volleys was there after a terrific spike killed by Paul Carroll. Wlazly shattered the home dreams in style, and Andrzej Wrona finished it off at 28-26.
Some could have thought that the hosts had suffered a big blow in failing to cash that match ball, but they were able to keep their focus and control over their nerves also for the make-or-break mission they had to cope with in the tie-break. Their Australian opposite Paul Carroll continued to combine quality with consistency, and the hosts’ advantage was extended to four points at the side switch (8:4). Skra cut their deficit to only one point at 10:9, Carroll got his team back on track, the ‘Berliner’ missed out on as many as five consecutive match balls, Skra got their first chance to seize the day, BR Volleys’ coach Mark Lebedew stopped the game and Felix Fischer kept the home dream alive for 18 all. One of the most spectacular rallies of the whole match provided Skra with their second match ball, Carroll fended it off, Wlazly bagged the next point, and the emotions continued with no break until an ace by Francesco De Marchi got the German party started at 23-21!
Post-match statements
The team captain of the BERLIN Recycling Volleys, Scott Touzinsky said straight after the match: “Many thanks to this amazing crowd, we really have the best fans in the world! Three years ago we said that our goal was to make the Final Four of the Champions League and possibly to host it here in Berlin. I am sorry that we lost yesterday but the most important thing is that we came back strong today and we ultimately fulfilled our dream to win a medal. The medal now is here and it’s a joy we want to share with all of you! This was the longest and most demanding match I have played since a very long time. PGE Skra are one of the world’s top teams but thanks to our fighting spirit and our amazing supporters we were able to win a medal. We have been working really hard for the achievement of this goal.”
Mark Lebedew, coach of the home team: “It was a phenomenal performance by my team and I am very proud of them. We made some changes and these helped us. I am very happy and it is a very emotional moment for me.”
Mariusz Wlazly, team captain of PGE Skra: “We are disappointed because we had much higher expectations for this weekend than to end up in fourth place. Now we will have to work hard and improve so that we can make the finals of our national league.”
His mentor Miguel Angel Falasca added: “We are having a difficult period where we do not play at the level we can. BERLIN was a little better and in the end they deserve this victory.”
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