Match report Strong first home match

SWD powervolleys Düren also win their first home match of the Bundesliga season. At Arena Kreis Düren they beat ambitious WWK Volleys München 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-18). After the 3-0 opener in Rottenburg, Düren have yet to lose a set. Head coach Christophe Achten spoke of a strong team performance: the team can still improve here and there, but overall he was very satisfied.

Superior in every element

Düren were better than the visitors in every element, above all serving and blocking. The statistics only partly show how effective middle blocker Philipp Lauter was from the service line – he did not serve a single ace. Even so, he kept disrupting München’s build-up. In the first set, Robin Baghdady and Jordan Canham converted the chances he created for 14-7. When Lauter then blocked as well, the set was all but decided at 19-12.

Lauter’s serves

The second set followed the same pattern: Lauter serving, Düren ahead – 5-0 after his first run, 13-7 after his second. You do not need aces if you can serve tactically well, Achten said in praise. Because Düren were also better and made fewer errors elsewhere, München never got into the match. An ace from new setter Robert Viiber for 15-9 settled the set early.

The block decides it

After the break the match became tighter. München coped better with Düren’s serves and built pressure of their own. Viiber scored an unusual point for 10-6 when the setter attacked from the back row. München answered with two blocks but got no closer than 12-14. Blocks from Viiber and Baghdady stretched the lead from 18-16 to 22-17 – and that was that.

Besides Lauter, Achten praised his top scorer Baghdady, setter Viiber and 17-year-old libero Mischa Kosyak, who once again stood in strongly for the injured Troy Gooch.