Potsdam volleyball players at the World Cup: “We are in the top eight of the world”

rbb|24: Laura Emmonts, The Volleyball World Cup is currently taking place in the Netherlands and Poland. Where do we catch you?

Hotel room in Lodz. We played our first two group games in the Netherlands and then had to advance during the preliminary round. We then went from Arnhem to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam we went to Warsaw by plane and later to Lodz by bus. Then we stayed in a hotel for five days and left again yesterday within ód. To be honest, I don’t think it’s great to go ahead during the preliminary rounds, but that’s what the organizers wanted.

You are with the German team in the second group stage, the intermediate round. What do you consider the possibilities?

At first, it was our big goal to get into the intermediate rounds – because we had a very clear group. We are now trying to reach the quarter-finals. But it will definitely be difficult. We need to win all four games by three points (ie submit only one sentence at most, editor’s note) And Thailand only needs to win one game by three points for us to progress. We want to watch game by game and not lose the fun with it.

In the last group game against Canada, you gave up a 2-0 set lead and thus missed a better starting position for the second round. What was the atmosphere like in the team afterwards?

We talked briefly in the dressing room after the game and then told each other that nothing is impossible. that we want to keep fighting. But everyone in the team felt against Canada that it wasn’t necessary – the disappointment was huge.

You have been a player of the national team since 2014. How important is the World Cup to you?

It is an honor to play for Germany. And a World Cup is something really good. It’s unbelievable what players we get to play against. Against an Olympic champion, for example, or the current world champion. I think you should enjoy it. We are currently staying at the hotel with seven other teams – it’s really busy. And then you always meet female players in town. It is very pleasant.

How do you rate German women’s volleyball in international comparison?

I think we can reach the quarter-finals here. We are among the top eight teams in the world.

What does it take to reach the top of the world?

If you look at Italy or Serbia, they have real superstars who get every point. We miss someone like this. But I believe we can counter it with our team spirit. By the way, many countries have a foreign rule in their league, which states that only three or four foreigners are allowed to play. Then all you have to do is boost your growth. In Germany it is missing.

The German national team is very young – they are already 31 years old. How would you describe your role in the team?

In fact, I don’t think 31 at all (laughs). I still feel young. It is true that young players look up to me and sometimes come to me with questions. But I wouldn’t call myself a mom right now.

The season starts at the end of October with SC Potsdam. After finishing runners-up last season, SC are no longer an outlier in the Bundesliga – how do you deal with your new role?

you will see. You must first find yourself as a team. We have got many new players. But it is not new in volleyball that many players come and many players leave. We know we are the victims and everybody wants to give 100 or 200 percent against us. Let’s see how we can deal with the pressure at that time. I can hardly wait for the season to start and for us to play the Champions League – for the first time in our club’s history. We also did a team bonding measure in preparation. And since then I’ve been feeling great.

With whom did you bond?

At a city rally through Potsdam.

You are the captain of the team and are known for making candid statements. What are your goals for the coming season?

We want to be among the top four teams in the Bundesliga again and if possible at least reach the semi-finals of the Cup.

May you be successful!

The interview was conducted by Uri Jahvi, RBB Sport.

Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, October 4, 2022, 10:15 am