Volleyball Champions League - BR Volleys encounter a 'challenging group'
The German Masters Berlin Volleys face attractive, but not invincible opponents in the group phase of the Volleyball Champions League. In Pool A, the team coached by Joel Banks encounters the Polish championship third Projekt Warsaw, Greenyard Maaseik from Belgium, and the Slovenian champions Volley Ljubljana. This was determined by the draw at the CEV headquarters in Luxembourg.
"This is a challenging group without a real weak opponent, but we are not hopeless," said Volleys business manager Kaweh Niroomand.
Meet again with crowd favorite Kessel
The group phase will be played in round-robin format from November 12, 2025, to January 29, 2025. As group leaders, the BR Volleys have home court advantage in both their first and last group matches.
Only the first-place finishers advance directly. The remaining three teams in the playoffs will be determined by a knockout round between the second-place teams and the best third-place team.
A particular attraction is the match against Maaseik. This is not only the former club of Volleys trainer Joel Banks, but for the upcoming season, the Belgians have hired former Berlin fan favorite Cody Kessel as their outside hitter.
The draw in Luxembourg placed the German Masters Berlin Volleys in Group A, competing against Projekt Warsaw from Poland, Greenyard Maaseik from Belgium, and Volley Ljubljana, the Slovenian champions. Kaweh Niroomand, the business manager, acknowledged the challenging group but expressed optimism, stating, "This is a challenging group without a real weak opponent, but we are not hopeless." During the group phase, held in Warsaw, Ljubljana, and other locations, the Volleys will have home court advantage in both their opening and closing matches due to their position as group leaders. An intriguing match-up is anticipated against Maaseik, as they have signed former Berlin fan favorite Cody Kessel as their outside hitter for the upcoming season, having previously coached Banks in Belgium.
