When it comes to titles, there is no way past streets

Gilles Braas received congratulations from a winner. His wife Lindsay Dowd, who had recently won the cup title with Mamer, was among the first congratulations and the player of VC Strasse had twice the reason to celebrate on Saturday. The volleyball player was also happy for another reason about the new triumph in the Loterie National Coupe de Luxembourg: “This is the first title in a long time we win in streets. That is of course mega.  »

The many successes in the league and the cup that his team accumulated in recent years had recently made streets perfect in foreign halls. This time the club had organized the multi -day final four in the cup competition. With a 3-1 in the semifinals against the title aspirant VC Lorenzweiler on Friday and 3-0 (25:21, 25:22, 25:14) in the final against VC Fentingn the streets succeeded in a home triumph.

They also ended an unfortunate series with which the previous trophy organizers had to struggle. At the final Four 2022 in Lorenzweiler, 2023 in Walferdingen and 2024 in Bartringen in 2024, the respective home teams had not been represented in the field because they had previously left the competition. “We broke the curse. I'm very happy, ”cheered Strassen's Libero Samuel Novais.

It seems that the team is always there when it comes to titles. In the current season, the reigning champions in the league are very unusual before starting the play-offs. In the previous week, streets lost to the permanent rival and leader Volley Bartringen. So in the semi -finals of the National League there is a meeting with the third -placed Lorenzweiler, which one would have liked to avoid.

Cup success number 16

« After the game in Bartringen, in which we played really badly, it was simply important to be successful again, » said Braas about the successful cup days. The semi -finals on Friday against the co -favorite Lorenzweiler was considered more than the early final by many observers than the actual final against the supposedly weaker opponent Fentingen.

« The game on Friday was definitely the difficult game on paper, but mentally the final was much more difficult than the semi-finals, » said the national team captain. Against Lorenzweiler they knew that you had to do your best. « Tactically we were well positioned. » In the final against Fentingen, which the fourth week was just qualifying for the championship title playoff, Strasse, on the other hand, went as a clear favorite.

“We put a lot of pressure on it. On the field we felt that somehow sand was in the gear. It didn't go really well, ”said Braas. In the first two sentences, the opponent remained on the heels, but the last section ended very clearly in favor of the defending champion. “The Fentinger felt like 1000 years of experience on the field. If the distance is not big, they are really annoying, ”said the very experienced player.

Strasse has won every title in the trophy since 2019, and the double of coupe and championship has also been four times in a row since 2021. It was now the 16th cup victory of the streets. “We are a well -structured team. We have a very good bank, very good coaches. The training intensity is high. We stay constant. The most important thing in sports is consistency, ”Libero Novais explained the great success of his team. “It is the philosophy of the association to have a team every year that plays for title. However, it is heavier this season because Bartringen and Lorenzweiler have really good teams. But that also makes it interesting, ”said Braas.

The 32-year-old never sees success as a matter of course, even those in the Coupe de Luxembourg that can be realized faster than a championship title. “In the trophy you shouldn't afford a mistake. If you lose a game, you're out. This title is something special, ”he said.

And because the club was the organizer and could therefore use every helping hand well, coach Massimo Tarantini still had an extraordinary argument to motivate his actors before the Friday game against Lorenzweiler. “I told the players that they had to help at the men's final if we did not reach the final. Nobody wanted that, ”said the coach. His team outside the field was dutiful: On Sunday, the winners were divided into the final of the youth and the Coupe FLVB on Sunday.