Austria: HYPO TIROL say goodbye to professional volleyball after triplete and as undefeated Champions!
4 min read
In an extraordinary and emotional farewell, probably unique in Austrian sports history, HYPO TIROL Volleyball Team won Game 4 of 2024/25 Powerfusion VL Men final against TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg 0-3 (14:25, 22:25, 24:26), becoming Austrian champions for the 13th time in club’s history and for the third time in a row.
Having already won the Supercup at the start of the season and the ĆVV Cup in February, the club is retiring from professional sports as a triple winner, as General Manager Hannes Kronthaler announced two months ago.
But they also made an international appearance, as they reached the top six in the Champions League, and this season they competed in the group stage in European elite competition once again.
But the fact that HYPO TIROL finished the season undefeated on a national level, having lost only six sets across all competitions, makes the farewell even more special.
Game 4 was played in the once again well-attended Stadtwerke Hartberg Hall, and was a very one-sided affair in the first set. In the second set, the hosts had a six points lead, but were unable to capitalize, and the third set was a close call, closed with the minimum gap.
The top match scorers for the winners were captain Niklas Kronthaler, 13 points in final game of his career and the MVP of the final series, Kyle Hobus, who added 12. Lukas Glatz was the only player in double digit for Graz, recording 14 points.
“It was a special last season, which we finished perfectly. I am incredibly proud of the team and everyone involved. A big thank you goes to my father, who built this club. An era is coming to an end, but today we will celebrate properly. There will certainly be some sad moments in the coming weeks,” said HYPO TIROL volleyball team captain Niklas Kronthaler.
HYPO TIROL volleyball team middle blocker Nicolai GrabmĆ¼ller: “We deserved to win the final series. I am overjoyed.”
And on the club’s withdrawal from professional volleyball: “It’s bitter for Austrian volleyball, but the decision has been made, and we have to live with it.”
HYPO TIROL volleyball team libero Jacob Kitzinger: “For me, it was the fourth final series. I’m very happy that we finally won the title. Hartberg had nothing to lose and really put the pressure on us after the first set. But we stayed steady, didn’t let ourselves be impressed, and deserved to win. I have offers, but I still have to decide which direction to go. I will probably leave Austria.”
HYPO TIROL Volleyball Team Sports Director Stefan Chrtiansky: “The boys deserve the championship title. We had a superb season, and great games in the Champions League. We won the triplete as our farewell. What more could you want? Big praise to the players and staff. I’m staying with the club as youth coordinator. We’ll see how things develop. I’m always willing to help with my experience, but an era has come to an end.”
TSV Hartberg setter Max Thaller: “The disappointment is great; we also lacked luck in the final series. We deserved the final set today. I’m very proud of this young team. The final series doesn’t quite reflect our season’s performance. The league will probably be more balanced now. I’m looking forward to it.”
TSV Hartberg and season top scorer Lukas Glatz, who will be changing clubs in the summer: “We slept through the first three games and had a really hard time getting into the game, but today it looked different. You could see that it could be really close. Ultimately, they’re seasoned players, and we’re still quite young. Still, winning a set would have been nice. I was at TSV for 14 years and am incredibly grateful for the development I’ve been able to experience here.”
TSV Hartberg captain Maximilian Steinbƶck: “The second and third sets today hurt. These have been four finals, but you have to look at the whole season. Being runner-up again is certainly not a bad omen for the future. I hope I can be here again next year.”
TSV Hartberg coach Markus Hirczy: “I’m so proud of the team, the entire club. We have It took us a long time to get into the final series, but today we finished the season with a good game. That was important, but more was also possible. We had control in the second and third sets. We have to congratulate the Tyroleans on a great season.”
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š| Powerfusion Volley League 2024/25 |FINAL BEST-Of-7 SERIES
GAME 1 | Saturday, April 12, 2025
ā¢ 20.20 (Local Time) | HYPO TIROL Volleyballteam – TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg 3-0 (25:14, 25:22, 25:17) Series: 1-0
GAME 2 | Wednesday, April 16, 2025
ā¢ 20.20 (Local Time) | TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg – HYPO TIROL Volleyballteam 0-3 (28:30, 19:25, 17:25) Series: 0-2
GAME 3 | Saturday, April 19, 2025
ā¢ 20.20 (Local Time) | HYPO TIROL Volleyballteam – TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg 3-0 (25:14, 25:22, 27:25) Series: 3-0
šš¼GAME 4 | Wednesday, April 23, 2025
ā¢ 20.20 (Local Time) | TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg – HYPO TIROL Volleyballteam 0-3 (14:25, 22:25, 24:26) Series: 0-4
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