Mamer does not take into account the wish of Nathalie Braas

You made it at a hurry. In the crucial game, Vanessa Koos and her teammates from VC Mamer lost no time. The second final against RSR Walferdingen lasted an hour and 15 minutes. Then it was decided. Mamer’s volleyball players were allowed to celebrate the championship title – as befitting with many red -dressed fans and the winner’s hymn: « We are the champions ».

Captain Koos was a bit surprised at how quickly the 3-0 win on Saturday went quickly. « We wouldn’t have expected that. But today it was a day when everything worked. We really wanted it and had a great energy. The tactic opened and everyone just did their best, » the former international described the appearance of their team. 25:18, 25:17 and 25:11 were the set results. After the 3-1 in the previous week, Mamer now gave the opponents a chance in their hall in Walferdingen.

At the end of this season it was quick. But the club had to wait for this title for nine years. In 2016, Mamer’s team was the last time. Afterwards Walferdingen put an impressive series with seven won championships, apart from the first Corona year when no title was awarded. The Saturday evening also marked the end of an era and was a wax release.

For Koos it was not in the foreground that something was ended, but the achievement of your own goals. The team wanted to get all the trophies in one season: the Supercup, the Coupe de Luxembourg and the championship. « The main thing is that we did the triple. We absolutely wanted that. We are not concerned with taking something away from the opponent. We look at ourselves and try to get the best out. That really worked out this season, » said the 33-year-old.

You and the teammates have had plenty of experience in celebrating trophies in recent years. Mamer won the cup competition four times in a row, but Walferdingen always had the lead in the league. In the previous year, too, the two teams in the final series were faced with the best-of-thly mode. It was dramatic because a mistake in the point count in the second game overshadowed the final phase of the season. Walferdingen won the repetition game in an epic duel over five sets.

« It was very bitter. But it didn’t fit as this time. We didn’t have this bite like now. And Walferdingen was a bit stronger last year, » said Koos. Mamer has gradually increased with players with professional experience, while Walferdingen is in transition and increasingly relying on young Luxembourg women.

Worries on both sides

The three-year plan of coach Rehruel Krivov worked. « When I came to Mamer, the goal was to bring the team where Mamer was a few years ago. We came closer to the goal step by step, » he said. For him, the championship title also means the farewell to Mamer. He stops there as a coach, but continues to trust the team a lot: « I hand over a team that may be able to do something like Walferdingen. »

Mamer had started the final series as leader of the regular season with home rights. « We were very confident, the whole season. We were very focused, » reported player Lindsay Dowd. « It was so much fun, we performed as a unit. I am very happy and am proud of the team. »

However, the playing time was not completely careful. Dowd came back from a lengthy foot injury that she had put out of action in the previous year. Attack player Alyssa Ballenger, who was added last winter, failed three months with a tore. The two Americans who have a lot of international experience would like to continue to use Mamers.

With the opponents beaten, it is still unclear what the team will look like in the next season. There are probably many changes. Captain Nathalie Braas and Libera Caroline Martin, two supports from the multiple championship team in recent years, end their careers. It doesn’t stay that way. Several of the younger players go abroad to study. « We have to compensate for six or seven departures, which will be difficult, » said coach Laurent van Ellande.

It was hard for his players to see their successors in their own hall. « I wanted to avoid winning the title at home. But there was nothing to get today. Mamer deserves it, » said Braas. She had opposing feelings. « I am relieved, sad and disappointed, but still proud that we made it so far with such a young team, » she said.

Braas had planned her resignation for a long time. The changeover will still not be easy: « I think it will take a few weeks until I realize that I will no longer be on the field. »