Advantage in the remote duel: WWK Volleys Herrsching pay off a bit in Berlin - battle with Lüneburg for fourth place

The WWK Volleys Herrsching serve one last time in this year's Bundesliga main round.

Then the play-offs are due - which are different this year.

Herrsching - The main round in the volleyball Bundesliga ends this weekend.

For the WWK Volleys Herrsching it is in the remote duel with SVG Lüneburg for fourth place in the table.

The Ammerseer will play on Saturday, 7 p.m. (live on sporttotal.tv), with the German series champion Berlin Recycling Volleys, Lüneburg has to compete at the same time with the front runner VfB Friedrichshafen.

It's about the best possible starting position for the play-offs (see below).

The Herrschinger do not have the slide rule with them in their luggage.

“We want to play a good game.

Then we'll see what it's enough for, ”says Libero Ferdinand Tille.

Coach Max Hauser is optimistic before leaving: “It will be a difficult task.

Still, we're going to Berlin to score. ”The first leg shortly before Christmas the WWK Volleys lost 3-0, but were at eye level throughout the game.

All three sentences ended tightly.

Berlin is the favorite, but Herrsching coach Hauser says: "Not unbeatable"

The favorite role is still with the Berliners, emphasizes Hauser.

At the same time, the 37-year-old also points out that “they have already made several mistakes this year and are not unbeatable”.

Tille also hopes for tired Berlin legs after their Champions League trip.

The capitals lost 3-0 in Trento (Italy) on Thursday.

In any case, no changes can be made to the recycling volleys in the Bundesliga table.

Behind Friedrichshafen and the Powervolleys Düren they will finish the main round in third place.

However, a lot can still happen between places four and ninth.

In the long-distance duel for fourth place, the advantage is clearly with the Herrschingern.

As fourth they have 34 points, the fifth placed Lüneburgers 31st. Even in the event of a defeat, Tille and colleagues could defend their position, but would need help from Friedrichshafen.

WWK Volleys hope for help from Dominator Friedrichshafen

A look at the season's balance sheet brings justified hope: The dominator from Lake Constance won all of his nine home games in the new home ground that he moved into at short notice.

Most recently, however, the Häfler were slowed down by the corona virus.

Since then they looked a little weak, but marched on anyway.

No matter how the Saturday evening goes, the Herrsching team set a new personal record this year.

In the previous six Bundesliga seasons, the record was 33 points (2017/18 season and the 2019/20 season that was canceled).

This year the Hauser crew already has 34 points on the credit side.

Self-confident Herrschinger formulate their goal: semi-finals

Fourth place would also be a new record.

The past season, which had to be canceled two game days before the end of the main round, ended the WWK volleys in fifth.

Hauser is “very satisfied” with the past two years.

And he emphasizes: "We are not finished yet."

Herrsching's big goal is: semi-finals.

“There is little to complain about.

It's already a very good season for our small club.

Especially when you can see who we've left behind, ”says Hauser.

Apart from “one or two hangers, Tille is also very satisfied”.

The team oldie looks confidently to the final round, which begins next Wednesday and which the fans described as the best time of the year: "In the play-offs, the cards will be reshuffled."

Then the WWK Volleys either meet Lüneburg or the United Volleys Frankfurt.

The new German cup winner could overtake Lower Saxony in fifth place in the event of a triple point win in Bühl and a Lüneburg defeat in the last second.

Arithmetic games: WWK Volleys Herrsching and SVG Lüneburg in a remote duel

The WWK Volleys Herrsching will be fourth in the main round if ...

... they get at least one point in Berlin, or ...

... they lose 1: 3 in Berlin, but SVG Lüneburg does not win 3: 0 in Friedrichshafen, or ...

... they lose 0: 3 in Berlin, but SVG Lüneburg does not win 3: 0 or 3: 1 in Friedrichshafen.

New regulations for the play-offs - it starts next Wednesday

The Volleyball Bundesliga (VBL) is going into the play-offs of the 2020/21 season with an adapted schedule.

The men's finals will start next Wednesday, March 10th, and should be finished by the end of April if everything goes smoothly.

"The pandemic is forcing us to plan on a multi-track basis, to plan buffer periods for possible quarantines and to keep the individual series flexible without putting teams at a disadvantage," says Viola Knospe, manager of gaming operations at VBL.

The exact scheduling of the games will therefore take place at relatively short notice.

"The clubs know the timelines in which we move and, as with the previous postponements, are extremely flexible and cooperative," said Knospe.

Best-of-three and home rights regulation: That will change in the play-offs in 2021

Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played this season in "best-of-three" mode, the final series is set as "best-of-five".

If a final series with five games is not possible due to previous postponements, it can be shortened before the start.

The order of play in the quarterfinals has also been reversed.

This means that the first game will take place with the lower-ranked team in the main round, the second and a possible play-off game will be played on two consecutive days with the better-ranked team.

Semi-finals and finals are played in the traditional format with alternating home and away games, the better-placed team starts with home rights.

WWK Volleys Herrsching threatens to be the top favorite in the possible semi-finals

Unlike in previous years, there is a play-off tree, which means: The quarter-final winner from the duel "1st place against 8th place" will certainly meet the winner "4th place against 5th place" in the semifinals, the winner from "2nd place against 7th place "to the winner" 3rd place versus 6th place ".

For the WWK Volleys Herrsching, who are sure to finish the main round in fourth or fifth place, it is already clear: In a possible semi-final they will either meet top favorite VfB Friedrichshafen or the not yet determined table eighth of the main round final table.

ds / mg