How strong is the regional volleyball league?
It is difficult for the Freisinger to assess that.
Before the start of the season, the SCF team is the smallest unknown.
Freising
- For SCF trainer Falk Ullmann, the men's Regionalliga Süd-Ost is a "black box" this year.
Before the season opener at TSV Dinkelsbühl (Saturday, 6.30 p.m.) he doesn't dare to estimate how strong the competition is.
"I only know one thing for sure: We can essentially rely on the team from the last few years - and, according to my impression, they have not forgotten anything in the pandemic."
As a reminder: The last league game was played by the Freisinger on March 8, 2020 against the newly promoted VC DJK München-Ost-Herrsching II. After a brilliant performance, the SCF won 3-1.
The first lockdown followed.
After a short preparatory phase, the Freising-based company wanted to start the 2020/21 season before a year.
At the start, they should have competed in Dinkelsbühl, just like this year.
But nothing came of it.
A player had been infected with Corona shortly before - two weeks of quarantine for the entire team.
Then the second lockdown.
“We haven't played a league game for over a year and a half,” says coach Ullmann, looking back.
Optimal preparation looks different
In order to stay in contact, the Freising met regularly in video chat.
Only in July did they pump up their balls again, initially only the beach balls.
"We played a lot in the sand to gradually find our way back into it," says Ullmann.
He deliberately refrained from targeted fitness training, "the beachen was our fitness program".
The team started in the hall in August - but the troop was never complete at first.
The players wanted to catch up on their vacation.
It didn't really get going until mid-September.
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
"Optimal preparation looks different", Ullmann is looking forward to the new season with some optimism. The reason is a very simple one: he can fall back on a team that has known each other for many years, is well-rehearsed and, above all, has a lot of routine. "So our team is the smallest unknown before the start."
In the past few weeks, Ullmann has focused on team training.
His impression: “Our team is just as strong as it was before Corona.
A few test matches have shown that. ”Little has changed in terms of personnel.
Player Max Brunner was the only one to say goodbye to the sports club.
"He is living in Munich.
Commuting to Freising was too stressful for him, he is now playing with some friends in a Munich district league team, ”explains Ullmann.
There is a new addition: Vinzenz Ackermann came from league competitor SVS Türkheim.
Trainer Ullmann trusts in the flexibility of the players
Although both the quality and the quantity of his squad are right, Falk Ullmann would have preferred a slightly different composition. With Florian Panev he has only one trained player. And the important diagonal position is only simply occupied by Simon Goisser. For this he has seven trained players for the outside acceptance position. But Ullmann completely relies on the flexibility of the actors. “We have to improvise sometimes.” The coach knows that the entire squad will probably not always be available to him. Because work and family are more important than volleyball on one or the other weekend. Ullmann understands that. His team is a pure amateur team.
Despite all the routine, the guys from Freising are looking forward to the Dinkelsbühl game.
“We don't know the hosts at all,” says Ullmann.
He only knows that they have already started the season and lost 3-2 at SV Schwaig II.
The coach hopes that his team can establish themselves in the middle of the table, perhaps in the top third.
“After three match days we will know more.” Then the “black box” will gradually fill with light.
The squad of SC Freising
Players:
Vinzenz Ackermann, Martin Aigner, Philipp Geißelmeier, Simon Goisser, Benjamin Kock, Leander Liebl, Benedikt Lösch, Florian Panev, Tobias Recknagel, Moritz Steinberg, Lukas Viebahn.
Trainer:
Falk Ullmann.
