Last night at the Gamarchi hall, Nice volleyball team defeated the Sète team as part of the 18th day of Ligue A. Thanks to this victory with a score of 3 sets to 2, the Azureans secured their qualification for the playoffs, marking their sixth consecutive win.
The list is getting long; after thrashing Cannes in the derby, the people of Nice had a long evening. About 2 hours and 30 minutes of match where the Sète team were not intimidated by the yellow and blue team.
In the first set, the NVB was closely contested for a long while before taking the lead. The number 14 from Sète, Arthur Szwarc, carried his team with a very strong service, unsettling the Nice defense. The most spectacular point of the evening was in favor of the visitors. Just when the whole Giamarchi hall thought they had won a break point, Vasyl Tupchii climbed onto the stands to save a decisive point.
Nice secured the first set 25-21 with an ace from Rodney Ken Ah-Kong, helped by the net which completely changed the service trajectory.
The second-to-last in the standings took their first lead of the match at the end of the second set at 21-22. Throughout the set, they didn’t let the Nice team get away with any faults. Their good defensive placements allowed them to weaken Robin Overbeeke’s offensives.
This did not deter the latter. His perseverance and determination gave new momentum to his teammates. A break point and two aces from captain Zeljko Coric proved too much for the Sète team.
At 2 sets to 1, the supporters thought the hardest part was over. The Azureans made multiple errors, giving their opponents the opportunity to get back into the match, as seen in their poor communication on defensive receptions. After a tie at 24-all, Sète pushed the Nice team into their limits, and everything would be decided in a crucial final set.
The NVB leveraged all its experience in the fifth set. Sète lost their composure, especially with repeated service faults. At 7-5, when the Sète team could have caught up, Arthur Piazzeta crossed the line on his serve. A rookie mistake that would have irreversible consequences for the rest of the match. The Azureans then cruised through and won 15-11.
The undefeated streak in 2019 continues for Nice. They will play for their fourth place in Ligue A in Chaumont, currently fifth.
They will return home on Friday, February 22nd at 10 pm against the undisputed leader, Tours.
