Preliminary round of the German University Volleyball Championship

Six teams from Hesse, Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia met in the preliminary round of the German University Championship (DHM) in men's volleyball.

The home team from Kassel had a tough draw in the preliminary round. They had to compete against the eventual winners, WG Köln, as well as against WG Münster, whose team included a number of second division players. The Kassel team was all the more delighted to win the first set against Münster. Unfortunately, however, the other two hard-fought sets had to be conceded to WG Münster. There also seemed to be potential for victory against Cologne with hard attacks from the middle and outside positions. Despite a thrilling battle, the home team also had to concede defeat here 0:2. This meant an early elimination from the tournament. Düsseldorf, Jena and Ilmenau met in the other preliminary round group. WG Jena beat the other two teams to win the group. The match between Ilmenau and Düsseldorf was won by Düsseldorf, which secured its place in the semi-finals.

In the two exciting semi-final matches, Jena faced Münster on the one hand and Cologne played Düsseldorf on the other. After long rallies and outstanding saves, Jena and Cologne prevailed in their respective matches and ultimately met in the final. There, despite an outstanding level of play, WG Jena had to admit defeat, meaning that the players from WG Cologne took home the victory. This secured the Cologne team a ticket to the final round of the German University Championship in men's volleyball.

Looking back on the tournament, regardless of the home team's result, it was a successful day. Not only the spectators were extremely impressed by the level of play, but also the players themselves praised the high quality of play.

We at Kassel University Sports are delighted to have been part of this spectacle and wish WG Köln every success in the final round.