Nice Volley-Ball travels to the court of Tourcoing Volley-Ball for a key match in the Marmara Spike League.
Facing a northern team ranked 3rd in league A, known to be difficult to maneuver at home, the Eagles will need to deliver a full match to hope to bring back a precious victory in the race for the top of the table. It’s a tricky away match after the severe defeat against Tours. Meanwhile, Tourcoing Volley-Ball relies on high-intensity play and a consistently strong crowd to put pressure on its opponents. Nice Volley-Ball, on the other hand, shows solid team organization and true tactical maturity. This trip represents an important test to measure the Eagles’ ability to perform away from home and stay in touch with the top teams.
1st set:
Backed by its crowd, Tourcoing starts strong. The northerners put a lot of pressure on the service, disrupting Nice’s reception (6-3). Nice hangs on, but the Tourcoing team is a step ahead, especially with more incisive attacks (11-9). On the Azurean side, the eternal Dawid Dulski makes up for his team’s deficit with superb serves and an ace (12-13). Both teams compete with impressive blocks, succeeding one after the other (15-15). Nice plays cleanly, but the northerners consistently catch up (20-20). Who will be able to pull ahead in the money time and conclude this set? (23-23) Well, it’s the more skillful Tourcoing that finally prevails (25-23).
2nd set:
The Eagles raise their level of play, and it’s promising. They’re much more aggressive on the service and cleaner in attack, but they don’t really take the lead (5-5). We’re well aware of the rigor of the American Michel Stal, the central player of the northern team, who performs wonders and brings his team back into a good dynamic (8-7). The Nice players fight with heart on every point (9-11). The match intensifies! And Tourcoing once again clearly moves ahead, alternating between solid defenses and strong serves, dominating all phases of the game and clinching the second set (25-22).
3rd set:
The set is more contested. Both teams exchange blow for blow. Nice makes the difference through a more present block and better management of crucial balls in the final exchanges. Yet any lapse costs dearly, and the Tourcoing team comes back once again (15-12), leaving the Eagles with only scraps and implementing impactful attack combinations. The Nice team attempts to send missiles on service but their opponents’ reception remains impeccable (18-16). Another last showdown won by Tourcoing (20-17). The anticipated victory of the northerners becomes clearer, dominating a match where Nice rarely led (25-23). Another sweeping defeat against a top-tier team, and Nice sees its ambitions dwindle in this Marmara Spike League at a consistently high level.
Final Score: Tourcoing wins 3 – 0 against Nice Volley-Ball (25-23, 25-22, 25-23)
It will be crucial to secure points at home in the next match against Saint-Nazaire on Friday, February 20 at 8:00 PM, facing a lower-ranked team.
