VC WIESBADEN aiming high in Thessaloniki

Belgium – Türkiye – Greece: VC WIESBADEN has been travelling and making a name for themselves across Europe. The club (the only German team involved this year in the CEV Challenge Cup) will now compete in the quarterfinals against AC PAOK THESSALONIKI with matches scheduled for January 11 and 17. The 30-strong Wiesbaden entourage with players, staff and supporters took off from Frankfurt Airport on January 10 for the first leg at PAOK Sports Arena. 

After a bye in the early rounds, VC WIESBADEN edged the Belgian representative Bevo Rekkenshop ROESELARE back in November with two wins (3-1, 3-0). Things got more serious against Galatasaray Daikin ISTANBUL – and in the end, “hot” in the truest sense of the word. Head coach Benedikt Frank’s protégés surprisingly won the first leg in the huge Burhan Felek Voleybol Salonu (3-2). In the second leg, the Turkish favourite, coached by Guillermo Naranjo Hernández, stepped up a gear and claimed a 3-2 away win in Wiesbaden – a Golden Set was therefore needed. After 145 epic minutes, the home side emerged victorious at 15-11. This “victory of the decade” will also be remembered because the predominantly male Galatasaray supporters, mostly dressed in football jerseys, caused goosebumps and, on the other hand, sometimes discomfort in the sold-out arena (2,100 spectators) as well with their frenetic cheering choirs. “Greek fans are also said to have such an exuberant temperament. We have gained experience and have already communicated accordingly with our law enforcement officers. We are prepared,” says VC WIESBADEN Managing Director Christopher Fetting.

About PAOK  
The Volleyball division of PAOK was founded in 1985 and re-established in 2010. In 2019, PAOK won the Pre-League Championship and were promoted to the A1 Ethniki Women’s Volleyball League. In 2021, they won the Greek Cup and in 2023 they finished third in the same competition. PAOK also finished third in the last two editions of the national league (behind Panathinaikos ATHENS and Olympiacos PIRAEUS). The team plays its home games in the impressive PAOK Sports Arena, which has a maximum capacity of 8,142 spectators.

About PAOK’s current squad 
Athletes to note, among others: setter Megan Viggars (England) played for SC POTSDAM (Germany) last season; the 29-year-old has experience from playing in England, the Netherlands, the USA, the Czech Republic, and France. Her position colleague Lea Deak (Croatia) is brand new to the lineup. Outside hitter Kashauna (“Kash”) Anita Williams is also playing her first season in Thessaloniki; the American came from Criollas de Caguas in Puerto Rico. Outside hitter Aleksandra Milanova (Bulgaria) was MVP in the 2021/2022 Bulgarian Cup, and Maria-Aikaterini Xanthopoulou was honoured as best libero in the 2022/2023 Greek Cup. In the team of head coach Darko Zakoč (Serbia) acts with Sharon Chepchumba (aka “Chumba”) a powerful Kenyan opposite hitter; she played for city rivals Aris THESSALONIKI the season before. The very experienced Zakoč has been looking after PAOK since this season; he came from Partizan BEOGRAD (Serbia). From 2014 to 2021 he worked for Champions League participant CSM Volei Alba BLAJ (Romania) and won several titles there. From 2010 to 2012, the now 60-year-old served also as Romania’s head coach.

About PAOK’s form curve
The field of twelve teams in the A1 Ethniki Volley League is currently led by Panathinaikos (30 points) and Olympiacos (29). PAOK lost once at the beginning of December and then followed up with three 3-0 wins in a row by the end of the year – that meant sixth place. After the 0-3 home loss to Olympiacos on January 7, PAOK slipped back to seventh place (15 points) in the midfield, in which several teams are jostling with each other. 

Darko Zakoč after the match with PIRAEUS: “There were only good moments in the first set. We had problems in attack. Of course, I am not happy with that. We need a change in our squad, a player who can help us in difficult times.” Outside hitter Stamatia Kyparissi contributed nine points. The Greeks should be eager to show an even better performance in the Challenge Cup.

Interesting side note: AO Thiras SANTORINI is currently in third place (26 points). The setter Milana Božić (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and outside hitter Melissa Langegger (Canada) of VC WIESBADEN played for Thiras in the 2022/2023 season. Both athletes can report on many “Greek moments” (atmosphere, game systems, etc.).

In the CEV Challenge Cup, PAOK initially recorded a 3-1 win against Olympiada Neapolis NICOSIA from Cyprus, before taking the second leg 3-2. A 3-0 and 3-1 win over VK PROSTEJOV (Czech Republic) followed next. In the previous round, just like their German opponents, PAOK needed a Golden Set to edge past Dinamo ZAGREB. This was clearly won by 15-6 with Kash Williams as their top scorer (16 points).

Outlook
VC WIESBADEN can build on valuable experiences from the two successful away games in Roeselare and Istanbul. Managing Director Christopher Fetting points out to the advantage of being able to compete abroad first this time: “We have seen what our team is capable of, especially in our own arena, especially when the opposing fans want to shout us down.” Libero Rene Sain (Croatia) is also looking forward to another “crazy atmosphere” in the second leg (17 January): “The match against Galatasaray was awesome, and it could well be that we experience such a wild game against PAOK too. But first we need reach our best level in Greece.”

Benedikt Frank: “The fact that PAOK recently lost against second-placed Olympiacos is not a clue. PAOK is in the quarterfinals of the CEV Challenge Cup for a good reason and can attack well. Due to the names in the squad, they are the pre-favourites, but we also expect to have opportunities. When we perform at our best, we can play at their same level. Of course, everyone needs to be fit and we must cope with the journey. We encounter a different system again. Anticipating this requires a special mental effort on our part. We are going to Greece with confidence because we have already shown that we can be competitive also when playing away from home. Reaching the quarterfinals is a great honour for the club. It is going to be a cool, few weeks for us, but also for the fans – with very little time between games. We strive to manage our resources accordingly.”