Volleyball | More than a false start for the Berlin Volleys

There are defeats in sports that can be quickly forgotten—for example, when a team with key changes doesn't perform as harmoniously as hoped in the relatively unimportant first game of the season. And there are defeats that sting longer—for example, when a visiting rival uncompromisingly exposes the weaknesses of the home team in front of the home fans and is actually superior in every respect.

For the Berlin Volleys , their opening loss against VfB Friedrichshafen likely felt like a mixture of both. Indeed, on Tuesday evening in front of 6,078 fans in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, there were many simple coordination errors that could have been corrected with more playing time together. On several occasions, no one on the Volleys felt responsible for the second ball after receiving it, leaving six Berlin players to look at each other questioningly as the ball slowly bounced against the floor. "It's still the beginning of the season, everything still has to find its place," said national player Moritz Reichert, expressing a not-too-severe view of the defeat.

Lack of precision in passing

But there were also moments in the Volleys' game that gave more cause for concern, which is why Berlin coach Joel Banks spoke of a "reality check" for his team after the match. The only thing that worked really well against Friedrichshafen was the reception. However, the record champions revealed some problems with their own serve, in blocking defense, and especially in attack.

New Volleys playmaker Fedor Ivanov repeatedly lacked precision on Tuesday. His passes to Jake Hanes, the Volleys' main attacker and the best player of the last Bundesliga season, were often so inaccurate that the American couldn't fully follow through on his attacking shots or even had to abandon them completely. The result was hardly any easy points for the Volleys, which repeatedly invited Friedrichshafen to get back into the rallies.

There is a big gap in the network

The capital city team dropped the first two sets 18:25 and 21:25 without much resistance. At the end of the second set, Joel Banks reacted to his team's lackluster performance, bringing on Nehemiah Mote for middle blocker Matthew Knigge and summer signing Nolan Flexen for the weak Volleys captain Ruben Schott. The 23-year-old Flexen truly breathed new life into the Volleys with his impressive jumping and hitting power in the third set. The Berlin fans also rebelled against the defeat. But because the Volleys failed to capitalize on four set points of their own, the more mature Friedrichshafen team also took the third set 34:32.

The Volleys ' lack of consistency in key moments was a recurring issue last season, and it seems to be continuing to plague them this season. The defeat against Friedrichshafen, their first home Bundesliga opening loss in seven years, also highlighted the huge gap left by the departures of international players Johannes Tille and Tobias Krick in the summer.

Initial nervousness or more?

While Krick, at 2.13 meters, has been the heart of Berlin's block defense for the past two years, Tille has excelled as a reliable setter with a strong serve since 2022. Without these two pillars, the Volleys squad appears less balanced than in recent seasons. The center block lacks a true defensive specialist, but there's a surplus of players in the outside attack with internationals Schott and Reichert, as well as the up-and-coming Nolan Flexen and Simon Plaskie. And in the passer, behind the 25-year-old Ivanov, only 20-year-old Arthur Wehner is available.

The Dresden native is considered a great German talent. However, expecting Wehner to stabilize the volleying offense if starter Ivanov struggles, as he did against Friedrichshafen, would certainly be asking too much. Perhaps this is also why Joel Banks decided against making a substitution at the setter position on Tuesday, even though Ivanov's performance would have certainly justified it.

After the match, the coach stood protectively before his players. "We went into the game with a lot of pressure," explained the 50-year-old. Afterward, his team simply failed to regain control. The next match on Friday in Düren will provide insight into whether the initial nervousness was truly the Volleys' biggest problem.