After two wins in the beginning, now the first loss. Germany lost 3-0 (23:25, 22:25, 23:25) to defending champions Serbia in the group stage of the World Cup. The Olympic champions from the USA await in Łódź (POL) on Friday evening.
National coach Vital Heinen’s team proved themselves to be strong and faced the favored Serbian selection throughout the season. Despite a strong performance, Serbia eventually won 3-0.
“It was close. I think we played well. Serbia is a great team with a lot of good players,” said Vital Heinen. “It was our best game so far, but in the end we lost 3-0.”
Serbia is strong in times of crisis
Against Serbia, Vital Heinen started with the starting six that had already started against Bulgaria: Pia Kastner (pass), Kamila Weitzel and Marie Schalzel (blocks), Anna Bogani (libera) and three receivers (Hanna Orthmann, Lina Alsmeier, Lena Stigrod).
DVV Butterflies got off to a great start as they took the lead in the first set. However, towards the end of the first set, Serbia showed its best form in the key stages. A similar picture emerged in the second set: Germany held possession for a long time, but with three points in a row, Serbia finally took a 2-0 lead. On each occasion, superstar Dijana Boskovic scored decisive points on the diagonal. In the third set, the German team fell behind quickly, but above all substitutes Kimberly Truniok and Jennifer Janiszka ensured a strong race, meanwhile 21:21. But once again the Olympic bronze medalists from Serbia were strong in crunch time with the excellent Dijana Boskovic.
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Hanna Orthmann scored 14 points and Lina Alsmeier scored 13 points.
Now the strongest Olympic champions are waiting
The Americans, who have lost just one set in this World Cup, are top favorites for the title. DVV Sports Director Christian Dunnes: “The USA is number one in the world with various medal wins in the last few years, an absolutely great team. That means they are definitely favourites. We can play freely. Surprise should be even harder. The USA has an incredible amount of players who can come on the field, And you only get a few chances to score.” In the Volleyball Nations League 2022 held in June, the German team had to admit defeat with a score of 1: 3.
Saturday’s (4:00 p.m.) clash against Canada marks the end of the opening round. The top four teams from the six-man group will advance to the second round of the competition.
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