Hypo in the premier class
The fine and speedy return to the “real thing”
After nine years, Innsbruck will be back on the big European volleyball stage: Hypo Tirol was also able to clear the final qualifying hurdle in Holland - and will be competing against the crème de la crème of Europe from November. Where, however, remains to be seen.
Evil tongues claim: sleep was only possible at the bar in the hotel, if at all, as it was time to leave again at four o'clock in the morning anyway! "In any case, I spent the night celebrating," said manager Hannes Kronthaler happily.
And he was allowed to: his Hypo squad strolled through qualification for the highest volleyball class in Europe, losing just one set in six games! "Technically high-quality, composed and very mature - Doetinchem is not a run-of-the-mill team." The 3:0 (20, 21, 24) in the almost sold-out hall in the Netherlands was the icing on the cake of an extremely strong three-part preliminary round. And on top of that, the international federation gave them around 25,000 euros in prize money for their success.
Kronthaler will have to invest some of this money again - because the Olympiaworld will only be available for Arthur Nath and Co. against the Poles from Zawiercie on January 14. However, volleyball fans can hope that the other home matches (Milan/20 November and Roeselare/4 December) will also be played in Innsbruck: "We are fighting for the USI hall," the manager clarifies. Even if it is only a category 3 hall, it is still better than the one in Roeselare (4), one of the Tyroleans' opponents, even if it can only hold just under 2,000 fans instead of the 5,000 stipulated in the regulations
Home advantage would be an advantage in the premier league. "Because we want to challenge our opponents," Kronthaler believes in his team. "The Polish and Italian leagues are the best in Europe, the Belgians are our cup of tea." It will be tough, damn tough "against the real ones": Only the five group winners are guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals, with the runners-up and the best third-placed team playing in a play-off for the other three knockout places.
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