A week after their first victory of the season in Sรจte, the Nice team confirmed their form at home by beating Ajaccio 3 sets to 1. Mladen Kasic’s men move up to 7th place.
A fine confirmation from the Azzurri. After the great success in Sรจte last weekend, the Palmeira hall was (finally) welcoming captain Zeljko Coric and his teammates. During the first three rounds of the championship, the yellow and blue played three away games with a negative record: two heavy defeats in Montpellier and Rennes (3 sets to 0) and a victory in Sรจte. It was in the 4th round of the Ligue A volleyball that the Nice team returned to their home ground.
A strong defense
As in all the matches played this year, the first set was closely contested between the Corsicans and the Azzurri. It was at the end of the set that the locals snatched the first set 28-26. They were thought to be taking off but on the contrary, the locals were surprised by their opponents who found the solution in attack. The Ajaccians were solid during the crucial points of the set and tied at one set each (23-25). In the next two sets, the match was one-sided. The Nice team set the pace and took the last two sets 25-19 and 25-21.
It took two sets to get going and then they unleashed the full power. The victory wasn’t built in attack but in defense. Evidence of this is that the visitors were more effective in the offensive phase: 59 points scored through attack compared to 56 for the Nice team. However, the positive point of the evening was the defense. 14 blocks to 3 in favor of the residents of the Palmeira hall. Notably, the outstanding performance of the Dutch opposite, Robin Overbeeke, who scored 21 points, making him the top scorer of the evening.
A victory that brings the Nice team to 7th place at the end of the 5th round. Next week, Mladen Kasic’s men travel to the 9th place team, Tourcoing. An opportunity to climb further up the standings.
Pierre Ferrand
