As part of the 10th day of the Marmara Spikeligue, Nice Volley-Ball hosted Sète. A bottom-of-the-table match that promised to be crucial for the Eagles.
A match of fear. That’s how this encounter could be described. On one side, the team from Nice, second to last in the league with ten points, and on the other, Sète, a former stronghold of French volleyball struggling this season with 20 points. Meanwhile, in Saint-Jean d’Illac, the last place in the standings with seven points, the team from Narbonne was trying to gain some breathing space (11 points). Therefore, it was critical for Nice not to lose, to avoid the last-place team getting closer or the team just above them pulling away.
But Fabrice Chalendar’s men were a bit slow to start. After four points, it was captain Rodney Ah-Kong who led the way. Following him, Simon Hirsch took control, scoring nine points in the first set and helping his teammates make a difference at the end of the set. Nice took the lead (27-25).
The duel was tight. The second set would prove it. The gap never exceeded three points in favor of Nice, who eventually got caught and overtaken in a suspenseful end. Ardo Kreek, the center player for Argos, concluded with a final block, the sixth in this set. Sète tied the score, one set all (31-29).
Sète loses control of the match
Back on the court, Sète accelerated their play. The opponents of the evening wanted to overwhelm Nice, but trying too hard led to the opposite happening. The Eagles were almost spectators in front of a team that completely unraveled. With twelve errors, meaning as many points gifted to Nice, Sète sabotaged themselves and let the third set slip away (26-24). Enough to give hope to the supporters of the Nice Volley who had been waiting for a victory since December 5th against Saint-Jean-d’Illac.
The beginning of the fourth set saw serious play from both teams. Simon Hirsch and Lazar Koprivica responded to Sète’s assaults. Though slightly behind in score, Nice held on during the crucial moments. Sète won the last five points and the set (25-19).
Everything would thus be decided in the final set. A moment that had not been kind to the Eagles for several matches… But led by a stellar Matteo Schalk, who scored five points in this ultimate set, Nice took the lead and never let it go (15-11).
Nice finally claims victory in 2024 (27-25/29-31/26-24/19-25/15-11), ending a series of eight consecutive defeats. A relief, especially since Saint-Jean-d’Illiac also won against Narbonne. The Eagles move up to the twelfth place in the ranking, but the gap remains very narrow among the bottom three teams in the league (3 points).
Now, they will need to confirm this beautiful success in Chaumont next week, on Saturday, February 3rd at 8 PM.
