Lucerne, Switzerland, May 15, 2015 – Germans Karla Borger and Britta Büthe make their second-ever gold medal game in the FIVB World Tour only 200 kilometres away from their home town Stuttgart.
Everything was set for a huge derby in the first game of the semis at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Lucerne Open 2015; Germans Borger/Büthe wanted to qualify for their second-ever gold medal game after the silver medal at Stare Jablonki 2013. New-formed team Schwaiger/Hansel, on the other hand, wanted to make their first-ever gold medal game appearance as team.
And the two teams didn’t disappoint the high expectations of the big crowd in the stands – the over 2.500 could enjoy Beach Volleyball at a very high level; the two teams played their very best and delighted the spectators with long and thrilling rallies. The Germans, however, took advantage of bigger stamina and captured the first set 21-18.
Schwaiger/Hansel were under pressure now. The game remained close, none of the teams could prevail until the very end of the set – but the Austrians eventually were able to turn the game after trailing; they conquered the second set 21-19 to force the tiebreak.
The suspense reached the climax – even more since the game was tied at 14-14 – but at this very moment of the game, the experience as team made the difference in favor of Borger/Büthe – the Germans scored two points in a row and won the big matchup between neighbors 2:1 to make their second-ever gold medal game at a FIVB World Tour event.
After the final point Borger and Büthe went up to their families and friends, who were cheering on them in the stands, to celebrate this huge win. “It’s just an incredible feeling to play again in front of such an impressive crowd tomorrow – even more since our families are here. Of course we are eager to clinch a gold medal – but the Dutch are without a doubt a top team and we need another top performance”, Karla Borger explained after the game.
Teammate Britta Büthe is sure that they’ll have home field advantage. “We live in Stuttgart and this tournament here in Lucerne is the closest one to home. Our families and friends came to watch us play – that inspires us even more. We want to play our best Beach Volleyball and clinch gold for them.”