Nice Volleyball leaves the Marmara SpikeLigue with regrets. Victorious in the return match against Cannes (3-1), the Eagles delivered a solid and committed performance in this new Côte d’Azur derby. However, their performance was insufficient to overcome the decisive golden set obstacle.
Just three days after their defeat in the French Cup final against Paris Volley, Nice Volleyball had to return to the Marmara SpikeLigue courts to defend its place in the play-in against AS Cannes. Having won the first leg (3-0), the Cannes team started as favorites, but NVB could hope to reach the golden set in case of victory tonight.
From the outset, the Nice team set their pace. Masters of the first two sets (25-20, 25-20), they relied on successful serving, effective attacks (47% success overall), and stable reception (50% positive receptions). Colin Castelneau (11 points, 48% attack success), Shay Liberman (12 points), and a rejuvenated Dawid Dulski (17 points) supported their teammates.
Cannes reacted in the third set (23-25) before yielding again in the fourth set (25-19), leading both teams to play a golden set in this Côte d’Azur derby.
The golden score then turned in favor of the visitors. Led by Xander Ketrzynski (20 points) and Joao Rodrigues (14 points) during the match, it was ultimately Lukas Demar (10 points) who sealed NVB’s fate in this decisive set. Trailing from start to finish, the Nice team never managed to come back and fell (8-15) in this final set.
Brice Donat: “I am really proud of the players”
After the match, Nice coach Brice Donat did not hide his frustration while highlighting the pride he feels for his team: “Yes, it’s complicated. The result is tough because it brings two frustrations in a short time: the lost final, then tonight. Yet, we played a very good match. I am really proud of the players, very happy with what they have achieved. But in the golden set, we completely fell apart. And especially, there was the individual feat of a Cannes player, Demar, who delivered an incredible series of services that left us behind. If we consider the match’s progression, and the response we made after the heavy defeat in the Cup, I am of course disappointed, but also very proud of the players’ reaction.”
Beyond the match, the coach also points out fatigue and a difficult schedule: “If, in September, someone had told me we’d finish eighth in the championship and play a French Cup final, I would have signed immediately. Now, we are competitors, we are hungry for victory, and we wanted to go further. We spent three-quarters of the championship in the top 6. We dropped out in the last month and a half, with a dip in performance, because we focused too much on this final, which was a first for many. Also, placing the French Cup final in the middle of the play-ins, I find it absurd. You can’t play a play-in match on Wednesday, a final on Saturday, then again play-ins on Tuesday. If we had won the final, we would have arrived even more exhausted today. The play-ins are very poorly placed.“
Nice Volleyball exits with their heads held high, driven by a convincing reaction of pride, but pays dearly for a lapse at the worst moment in the match. A reflection of this end of the season, which has been difficult for the Eagles in terms of results, despite good matches often poorly rewarded. See you next season.
