Dresdner SC and BR Volleys snatch German Cup trophies
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| The happy winners of the women’s and the men’s German Cup trophies |
Mannheim, Germany, February 18, 2020 – Almost 11,000 spectators cheered on the women of Dresdner SC and the men of Berlin Recycling Volleys as they triumphed with the German Cup trophies at the SAP Arena in Mannheim on Sunday.
Dresdner SC and Berlin Recycling Volleys triumphant on top of the German Cup podium
The winners emerged in a particularly dramatic fashion in the women’s final, as Dresdner came up with a 3-2 (25-19, 20-25, 21-25, 28-26, 17-15) victory over Allianz MTV Stuttgart after having denied a total of four opponent match points, two each in sets four and five. Led by Kadie Rolfzen on a tally of 23 points, the squad from Dresden claimed the national cup for the sixth time, while Allianz MTV’s American striker Krystal Rivers hammered out a smashing tally of 37 points to be named Player of the Match.
“It was an incredible team effort! Almost every player has been on the court and performed very well. That is what has made us strong over the past few weeks. If you play with such a will, you can win such a game!” commented German international Lena Stigrot, who came in as a substitution in each of sets two, three and four, and started in the tie-breaker to end up scoring the winning point. “I was not at all sure whether I had made the point and I did not have the exact status in my head, but when I saw that everyone was happy, I knew we had the trophy. It was a great feeling!”
Allianz MTV’s American striker Krystal Rivers awarded Player of the Match
The men’s final, played before the ladies appeared on the court, was less dramatic as Berlin Recycling Volleys delivered an emphatic 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-22) shutout of SWD powervolleys Dueren in a 68-minute match. The team from the German capital had to wait for four years after winning their first German Cup trophy to snatch their second. US international Benjamin Patch of BR Volleys was the best scorer of the match with 13 points and a 65% success rate in attack to his name.
“We really played a great game. The opponents had some serious problems in serving and reception, especially in the first two sets, which made it much easier for us. Of course, we also played our cards well,” said BR Volleys captain and member of the German national team Moritz Reichert.
The players of Berlin Recycling Volleys rejoice with the victory
Organizers German Volleyball Association and the Volleyball Bundesliga also announced that the contract with the SAP Arena has been extended and the venue, which has hosted the women’s and the men’s national cup finals since 2016, attracting more than 53,000 fans to the stands, will continue to do so for another five years, through 2025. The date of the next edition of the German Cup finals has also been set – February 28, 2021.
“What looked like a daring step five years ago has turned out to be one of the best decisions we could make for volleyball in Germany,” said German Volleyball Association President Rene Hecht. “The German Cup finals have become the largest premium volleyball product we have in Germany and we are very proud of what we have achieved.”
The ambience at SAP Arena during the finals
Source: Volley - fivb.org
