Farewell fever: Berlin Volleys want to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League

The flu wave has still gripped Berliners, the number of sick notes is high, classrooms are only slowly filling up again, and serious illnesses have led to hospital stays. According to the Robert Koch Institute, around 7.5 million people across Germany recently suffered from acute respiratory infections. Colds, influenza A, influenza B, Covid-19 - the attacks on the immune system came from several directions and did not spare the professional athletes of the BR Volleys .

Recently, the volleyball players of the German record champions have hardly been able to train at full strength. At times, five or six players from the 14-man squad were sick in bed at the same time, up to ten were ill, and at least their noses were running - at a time when they are fighting for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the German Cup final is coming up in Mannheim.

Dramatic defeat for Berlin in the first leg in Lüneburg

After the recent 3-0 Bundesliga victory against Freiburg on Saturday, Berlin coach Joel Banks summed up: "I am happy that I have the majority of healthy players and that we can go into the new week so optimistically."

Now the Champions League return match against SVG Lüneburg is scheduled for this Wednesday evening (7:30 p.m., Max-Schmeling-Halle). In the first leg of the round of 16, the BR Volleys lost to the Lüne giants two weeks ago in a dramatic match with 2:3 in the tiebreak. There, the Lüneburg team converted their eleventh match point to make it 27:25 in a set that actually ends at 15 points - a surprise success.

A few days earlier, four of the Berlin team's players had been completely out of action with the flu in their Bundesliga match against Netzhoppers: captain Ruben Schott, middle blocker Nehemiah Mote, setter Djifa Amedegnato and libero Kyle Dagostino . Dagostino says he was in bed for five days with a fever, and he also had aching limbs and a cough. "I was sweating at night, my throat really hurt."

All players report their condition to the BR Volleys medical department every day: how they sleep, their energy levels, their appetite, how they feel. The day of the first leg was the first day that Dagostino felt well again.

Two-hour nap before the Champions League match

The 29-year-old American had followed the team in his car the evening before. The morning training session was his first session after a week and a half break. His afternoon nap lasted two hours instead of the usual 20 or 30 minutes. He was so exhausted. Dagostino told his coach, who had decided to start with Adam Kowalski in the libero position: "I'm here to support the team. If I'm needed in the evening, I'll be ready to go."

Dagostino was needed from the second set onwards. He came onto the court, stabilized the defence, fought his way through, sweated a lot and was one of the best players for the flu-ridden Berliners. "In the fifth set I had to fight for air between points. It's amazing how quickly you can get out of shape if you don't train for a week," says Dagostino. "But our job as professional athletes is to compete and deliver."

It is also a balancing act. Demanding too much from your body too soon can have a negative effect on your heart and circulation. But the BR Volleys are not taking any risks, says coach Banks: "The communication between players, coaches, doctors and coaches is very good." He can also see from his players whether they are in rhythm. And he reacts if they should be taken off the field - as was the case in the game against the Netzhoppers.

During training, the BR Volleys behaved as they did during the Corona period: washing hands, disinfecting equipment, sneezing into the crook of the arm. Contact is still unavoidable. Dagostino says that each of them takes care to stay healthy. For example, he eats healthily and takes vitamin supplements. The body is the capital of professional athletes.

Lüneburg's middle blocker Torwie almost drives Berlin to despair

In the first leg, SVG Lüneburg played a little better than his team, says Dagostino: "Their serves were very good, they managed their attacks, they blocked very well." In particular, the young middle blocker Simon Torwie almost drove the Berliners to despair with an outstanding ten blocks and a total of 21 points.

Coach Banks says the wave of illness is no excuse for his team's defeat. Lüneburg deserved to win. "They have a great team this year." Nevertheless, he was extremely proud to see his men fight so hard. "I knew what had been going on in the background, how thinly staffed we were in our training sessions."

Dagostino has since recovered. On Monday morning, Banks welcomed all 14 players back to training for the first time in three weeks. "Our level is improving every day," says Dagostino, referring to Wednesday: "I know that we can play at a higher level. The Lüneburg team has the advantage of having absolutely nothing to lose. But we are ready to defend our home ground with our fans behind us." Banks adds: "We are under pressure to win. We know this pressure from the BR Volleys. I hope my team plays as bravely as they did in the first leg - and has the better outcome on their side this time."