Nice Volley Ball, bottom of the Marmara Spikeligue, hosted Gazélec Ajaccio this Saturday, December 6th, for the 10th day of the championship. A crucial match: the team from Nice absolutely needed to reconnect with victory at home, in their Palmeira-Giamarchi arena, to hope to leave the relegation zone.
Under the direction of coach Brice Donat, the Eagles needed to urgently address their difficulty in closing tight games, after several tie-break losses. The stake? Finally offer a first home victory to their fans, eager to relive the excitement of great evenings. Especially since the ranking is more open than ever! Nothing is yet decided: the last seven teams in the standings are only two points apart. The Azuréens could therefore hope to replicate last season’s feat, where they climbed from 12th to 5th place, before reaching the quarterfinals of the playoffs in 2024 despite having the smallest budget in the League.
A controlled first set
In a packed Palmeira arena and an enthusiastic crowd, the team from Nice dominated the first set with authority. Driven by strong block-defense sequences, led by the tireless Dawid Dulski and a Shay Liberman in top form, the Azuréens quickly gained the upper hand. Lohan Nack-Minyem also shone, scoring two aces and several winning serves. On the Ajaccio side, the Brazilian Pinho tried to resist with forceful attacks, but Nice imposed their superiority in service, disrupting the opponent’s reception and preventing any offensive organization. Two more winning serves by Lohan Nack-Minyem and an almost perfect attack performance by Shay Liberman sealed the fate of this first set, won (25-17).
A second set in continuation
The NVB continued with the same intensity, Shay Liberman multiplying aces and decisive points, amidst the cheers of the crowd, even taking the time to high-five the ball girls, proving excellent in all sectors afterwards.
In contrast, Ajaccio struggled with serves, while Dawid Dulski, acclaimed by the fans, continued to deliver impressive performances: surgical diagonals and balls caught at impressive heights above the net. Despite some nice exchanges from the Corsican side, the Eagles logically won the second set (25-17).
A tense third set
This third act began with apprehension because the team from Nice has often experienced a drop in pace at this stage of their matches.
Facing difficulties in third sets, the team from Nice approached this set cautiously. Faced with a resurgent Corsican opposition due to two changes, suspense was tangible. But Shay Liberman, as decisive as ever, and Dawid Dulski, supported by an enthusiastic crowd, allowed Nice to widen the gap and conclude the match (25-18).
Brice Donat’s players delivered a complete match, which delighted their coach and the crowd. The Eagles won in three sets decisively (25-17/25-17/25-18). With three additional points, the NVB jumps from 14th to 9th place in the standings. Shay Liberman, delivering an exceptional performance, was rightly named player of the match amidst a standing ovation.
Next challenge: Poitiers, on Saturday, December 13th at 7 PM.
