VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen moved to the brink of the German women’s volleyball championship after defeating Dresdner SC in five sets to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five final series.
In front of nearly 3,000 fans at Dresden’s Margon Arena, Suhl secured a dramatic away victory after 115 minutes, putting themselves one win away from a first Bundesliga title.
Dresden showed a much stronger performance than in the opening 3-0 loss and twice took the lead in sets. The home side claimed the first set and then fought back from 15-21 down in the third to move ahead 2-1.
However, Suhl responded impressively each time. The visitors dominated the second and fourth sets before holding their nerve in a tense tiebreak.
Monika Brancuska starred for Suhl with 30 points, while setter Lara Nagels was named MVP. For Dresden, Marta Levinska led the scoring with 21 points, while Mette Pfeffer and Lorena Lorber Fijok each added 14.
Dresden coach Alexander Waibl said his team had improved from the first match but must raise their level again in the next game if they want to keep the series alive.
The third match will be played Wednesday in Suhl, where the home side can clinch the championship. A Dresden win would send the series back for Game 4 on Saturday.
Result: VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen beat Dresdner SC 3-2 (23-25, 25-11, 24-26, 25-14, 15-13) – Suhl lead series 2-0.
