SVG Lüneburg made history rallying past VfB Friedrichshafen in a gripping five-set battle to claim their first German Cup title.
Lüneburg came out on top in a five-set thriller—27–25, 21–25, 25–16, 21–25, 15–8—in front of a record sellout crowd of 12,508 at SAP Arena. The win was extra sweet: it finally ended their run of four final losses.
The match lived up to the occasion, with momentum swinging throughout the two-hour contest. Lüneburg narrowly took the opening set, but Friedrichshafen responded to level the score. After Lüneburg controlled the third set, Friedrichshafen forced a deciding fifth in its bid for an 18th cup triumph.
But the tiebreak belonged to Lüneburg.
The team surged ahead early in the final set, applying steady pressure that Friedrichshafen could not overcome. Ethan Champlin led all Lüneburg scorers with 21 points. Daniel Gruvaeus converted the first match point to seal the victory and spark emotional celebrations on court.
“It feels incredible,” said setter Santeri Välimaa, who was named MVP. “This club has worked so hard for this. The atmosphere was fantastic, and we felt our supporters every step of the way.”
For Friedrichshafen, the narrow defeat was difficult to absorb.
“It was extremely close,” said Louis Kunstmann. “In the fifth set, we didn’t start well enough. Lüneburg defended and received just a bit better.”
The victory marks a milestone for Lüneburg, securing the first major title in the club’s history and ending years of frustration on the cup final stage.
