For this 15th day of the championship, Nice Volleyball hosted Montpellier Volley UC this Tuesday at the Palmeira hall. In an intense and close match, Ratko Peris’s team from Nice narrowly lost (3-2) despite holding their own against the seven-time champion of France.
For the 15th day of the championship, the team from Nice had a tough challenge ahead. The Montpellier team is brimming with confidence, having remained unbeaten for an impressive run of eight matches and having shown exemplary performance in the European Cup (qualified for the semi-finals). They are ranked second in the championship with three games in hand (27 points, nine wins, and two losses) and remain contenders for the national title behind Cannes and Narbonne.
A start that didn’t meet the expectations for Nice
As Ratko Peris announced before the match, fatigue was a factor for this last match of the post-Covid year 2020. The Azureans aimed for an exploit tonight but once again narrowly failed. Things started poorly, despite the home team’s comeback efforts. After losing the first two sets (18-25; 18-25), the Nice players seemed troubled, isolated, and were subjected to the aggressive play from Montpellier. It seemed like things might get worse for Nice. However, that wasn’t the case.
The Nice team finally responded by staying close to their Montpellier counterparts on the scoreboard, thanks to well-timed blocks by Rodney Ah-Kong and Matias Giraudo near the net (14-14; 18-18; 20-20). Due to a series of individual errors by the visitors, Nice Volleyball came back to 2-1 by winning 25-21. The match was back on.
An exceptional Leo Andric, a “remontada” to believe again
Contrary to what many feared, Nice Volleyball delivered a much better performance in the fourth set (4-1; 8-3; 11-6). The Azureans’ team play seemed to reward their efforts. The team from Montpellier in turn suffered from the aggression of Nice’s swift balls (16-10; 18-15). At that moment, there was a slight relaxation from the locals. The visitors even managed to come back to 19-19.
Luckily, Nice Volleyball could count on their number 13, Leo Andric, who made several quick and effective strikes, enabling his team to win 25-22. The moment of truth had arrived! The two teams were neck-and-neck. The fifth set would be decisive. Following numerous reception, service, and return errors, neither Nice nor Montpellier could take the lead (5-6; 10-10; 12-12).
But experience made the difference. It was Montpellier who nailed it and won 15-13 in the final set, at the end of a tight match that lived up to its promise. Nice can feel some regrets after delivering such a performance against a top-3 team in the Ligue A rankings. Thus, the valiant Nice team leaves the hall with a bittersweet 3-2 set defeat, before returning to the championship next year.
