This is Blair Lambert’s VolleyballMag.com weekly men’s professional volleyball report, featuring Americans around the world. Got a note about a player or a comment for Blair? Email him at blairlambert2@gmail.com
For all of its success in the German Bundesliga, the German Cup has been a different story for the Berlin Recycling Volleys. Since the club has been on a tear with nine of the last 10 Bundesliga titles, it has only won the German Cup twice during that span (2016 and 2020).
When the drawing paired Berlin with SVG Lüneburg in the quarterfinals, few fans would have thought Berlin would have difficulty reaching the semifinals when the two teams met on Thanksgiving. Berlin has not yet dropped a match against German competition. The two teams had met twice before with Berlin winning in four sets in both the Bounce House Cup semifinals and in league play.
Lüneburg jumped out to a 2-1 lead after a 22-25, 25-22, 22-25 start. Cody Kessel started the fourth set for Berlin and led Berlin to 25-23 and 27-25 victories to take the match. Kessel was named the match MVP after earning 10 kills (.409) and a block. He also passed 55 percent positive receptions and 21 percent perfect without an error.
Colton Cowell scored 22 points for Lüneburg on 20 kills (.357), one block, and one ace. Jordan Ewert contributed 17 kills (.471) and two blocks. Gage Worsley passed 47 percent positive receptions and 26 percent perfect. Joe Worsley set the team to a .389 hitting percentage, put down two blocks, and scored twice from the service line.
James Shaw set WWK Volleys Herrsching to a .210 attack average, scored on a block, an ace, and a kill in a 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23 loss to VfB Friedrichshafen in the quarterfinals on November 23.
In the other quarterfinal match that involved American players, Helios Grizzlys Giesen defeated Ntezhoppers KW Bestensee 16-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-22. With Fedor Ivanov back from injury for Giesen, Matt West has assumed the role of backup setter. He still came in during the second set and played through the rest of the match. West set Giesen to a .286 attack average in those last two sets while scoring from a kill and a block.
Max Chamberlain scored 12 points in the middle for Netzhoppers from 11 kills (.388) and an ace. Randy Deweese had a rough outing, hitting .087 from the right side on his way to seven kills to go along with a block. Raymond Barsemian was used as a substitute, finishing with a kill (.000) and…
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