Michael Evers and Burkhard Wiebe of the management board were joined by head coach Teun Buijs (NED), Denise Hanke (GER) who will lead the group this year as team captain, and additional players Quinta Steenbergen (NED) and Lucia Hatinova (SVK). The Dutch and Slovak national players are some of the latest additions to the roster and will strengthen the team playing as middle blockers.
The local press used this opportunity to ask questions about the upcoming challenges in the Bundesliga, in the national cup and quite obviously also in the CEV Volleyball Champions League. According to Denise Hanke, the group is looking forward to the matches in Pool E against Dinamo KAZAN, Robur Tiboni URBINO (ITA) and 2004 Tomis CONSTANTA (ROU). After the first participation in eleven years in the 2011/2012 season, the team knows what the most elitist European competition is about.
“Last year we have been really excited about playing the Champions League. The teams we are playing in the preliminary round are really good and this year is going to be tough again, but now we are better prepared and as we are playing in our “living room”, the Arena, we hope to get the chance to make it to the next round and we’ll try our best to grasp it” said Denise Hanke.
Teun Buijs, who is coaching the team for the second year, is also optimistic about the upcoming season. “This year the preparation is going very well and we are now already further than we were last year by this time. We could compensate for the players that left the club or that finished their career and we are still looking for two more players”.
The management of the most successful German female Volleyball team assumes that it is possible to reach the Playoffs with the support of their fans. The supporters and the club can’t wait for the season to start and to welcome Dinamo KAZAN and superstar Ekaterina Gamova in two weeks.
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