Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2023 (M): Summary

The tournament produced a different kind of pressure on the players. It was only a week-long tournament where every game counts and a simple mistake might cost you a lot. Knowing the results in Pool A, did the higher-ranked teams play complacently with the thought that they would still qualify due to their current world ranking? Between the heavily favored Brazil and Italy, Germany topped their pool with an undefeated record of 7–0. Despite finishing 11th in the VNL and 9th in the European Championship, their performance in this tournament was exceptional. The addition of their 38-year-old opposite spiker, György Grozer, elevated their offense and was one of the major factors in the team’s success. He was one of the top scorers in the tournament and also provided leadership despite being the captain late in the tourney. I also have to commend the contribution of his teammates, Moritz Reichert, Anton Brehme, and Julian Zenger, for their exceptional performance in this tournament. <a href="https://medium.com/@vbrantsph/olympic-qualifying-tournament-2023-m-summary-5845a08fc002">Website</a>