After their defeat at home against Tourcoing (3-0), Nice once again experienced defeat in the 17th round of Ligue A. After glimpsing victory, Nice let the win slip through their fingers in Toulouse (19-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 15-8).
After seven matches without a single victory, the losing streak continues for the Nice volleyball club coached by Ratko Peris. Facing Toulouse, only two places above them in the standings, the Eagles once again surrendered in the decisive set. A frustrating defeat after having dominated the start of the match.
Nice starts the match perfectly
The beginning of the match between Toulouse and Nice is relatively balanced. The two teams follow each other on the scoreboard until Nice makes the first break of the game, leading halfway through the first set (13-8). With the determination to win a set, something that hasn’t happened for two matches, Nice holds on until the end and never lets go. Led by their captain Jérôme Clère, the people of Nice begin hostilities by winning the first set (25-19).
The contest balances between the two teams
Riding their positive momentum, the people of Nice continue to increase the pressure on Toulouse and start the second set in the best possible way, scoring three points in a row. After catching up, the people of Toulouse get back into the set, with the help of their Dutch captain, Jorna. The set is highly contested, and neither team wants to give up. It takes until the money-time to see Toulouse make the difference, pulling ahead to 24-22. Despite losing the point on their service, Toulouse keeps its cool to tie the sets (25-23).
Seeking revenge, the southerners are determined to leave the banks of the Garonne with a victory in hand. Yet, at the start of the third set, Toulouse makes a difference with the quality of their effective block, quickly leading (15-10). It’s a significant lead for the locals but insufficient, as the people of Nice come back into the set. They do even better: with yet another smash from Jérôme Clère, the captain of Nice Volleyball allows his team to clinch a crucial third set.
The fourth set is one-sided in this match. Only 16 small points scored in this set for the Eagles. Overwhelmed, less agile, the people of Toulouse took advantage of an apathetic opponent to seize the fourth set. The set is dominated from start to finish by the locals (25-16). Nice and Toulouse would indeed battle it out in a decider set.
Nice can have regrets in this match
As the two teams go head-to-head in this tiebreak (6-6), Toulouse tightens up their play. More focused, sometimes with a touch of luck, the people of Toulouse pull ahead quickly in the score (10-6). The gap is made, and Nice understands that another defeat is looming. A one-sided last set (15-8). Toulouse completes the job and wins a match full of twists and turns.
Nice Volleyball records an eighth consecutive defeat, the 14th of the season in 17 matches, at the end of a tight match that lived up to its promises. Despite the regrets that Jérôme Clère and his teammates may have, the people of Nice can rely on the defensive play they have demonstrated against the people of Toulouse and thus hope to secure a victory. The next meeting for Ratko Peris and his men will be against Paris Volley next Friday at the Palmeira hall in Nice.
