The volleyball players from VfB Suhl shocked the favorites MTV Stuttgart again and secured the second cup victory in the club's history in a final thriller. Coach Laszlo Hollosy's team from Thuringia squandered a 2:0 lead in the SAP Arena in Mannheim, but won the DVV Cup final 3:2 (25:17, 25:18, 15:25, 23:25, 15:13) in a tie-break.
The previous weekend, second-placed Suhl had already inflicted the first defeat (3:2) in the league on the first-placed team from Stuttgart. Suhl won the cup for the first time in 2008. The Swabians missed out on their sixth success in the competition.
The favorite oversleeps the start
The underdogs from Thuringia got off to a furious start in the hall, which was sold out for the first time with more than 12,000 fans. Thanks to strong service play and led by Bundesliga top scorer Monika Brancuska, Suhl were quickly well ahead and took set one without any major problems.
As in the first set, Stuttgart coach Konstantin Bitter had to take an early timeout at 0:4 in the second set. VfB remained the better team. McKenzie Foley made it 14:8 and Stuttgart, led by national team players Pia Kästner and Antonia Stautz, were unable to get into the game. The club from Thuringia surpassed itself, even away from the Wolfsgrube, the name of its home court.
Varela's aces give Stuttgart hope
The favorites then woke up and were able to create a small cushion for the first time. Lucia Varela made it 15:7 with five aces in a row. Suhl regained the momentum in set four and quickly took a clear lead again. This time, the MTV fought back. There was a tie-break, in which VfB started better again, but then made too many mistakes. However, Suhl held their nerve and took the title in a long rally.
The men's and women's finals will be held in Mannheim for the last time for the time being. Next year, the event will move to an even larger hall in Cologne.
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