Schwerin, Germany, February 7, 2020 – German club SSC Palmberg Schwerin earned a 3-1 (25-15, 25-15, 16-25, 25-12) win on their homecourt against Finland side Hameenlinna at Palmberg Arena on Thursday, bolstering their CEV Volleyball Cup 2020 campaign as they made their way to the quarterfinal round to face Belgium's Asterix Avo Beveren.
The fixture also marked the return of German volleyball star Louisa Lippmann to Schwerin after playing two years with club teams in Florence, Italy, and Shanghai, China. The conclusion of the Chinese league for the 2019/2020 season in mid-January opened the possibility for Schwerin to acquire the three-time German Volleyball Player of the Year.
“I only have positive memories of my time here (in Schwerin),” said Lippmann on making an easy decision to return to her former club.
“Schwerin has developed in recent years and is a big name in professional sports – always chasing titles, always with great ambitions nationally and internationally. Therefore, it offers an incredibly professional environment wherein you can also grow as a player.”
The 25-year-old native of Herford sees her role as a team player that would help teammate Kimberly Drewniok on the court.
“Kimmi and I are a big threat on offence to our opponents. However, we are fundamentally different. Kimmi has already adapted to the system of the team. She’s left-handed and incredibly fast, while I am right-handed and more athletic – these differences bring a lot of options into our game, making the team unpredictable to our opponents. It’s great for the team.”
Lippmann, one of Germany’s leading players, led the scoring for her country at the 2019 Volleyball Nations League. She has yet to pick up on her scoring rhythm at Schwerin, and acknowledges her role as a key player in the team.
She scored only one point coming off the bench, but her teammate Nicole Oude Luttikhuis was up for the scoring task as she led the team with 25 points, including 17 attacks, six aces and two blocks. Drewniok also chipped in 17 points in the victory.