The Nice team clinched a victory last night at home in a tie-break against Saint-Quentin. It’s a first win that they will need to confirm on Saint-Quentin’s turf in order to qualify for the semi-finals of the playoffs.
By finishing second in the regular season, the Azuréens secured home advantage for the Ligue B playoffs. They needed to confirm this status against Saint-Quentin, a team that NVB managed to defeat three times during the regular season.
Nice alternates the good….
In the first set, Mladen Kasic’s men seemed calm and confident in their strength. They showed a lot of control and power in attack. They won this first act easily with a score of 25-18.
Then, in the second act, the nature of the match changed completely. The team from the Île-de-France region led the way. Then, after the second technical timeout, Jérôme Clere decided to take matters into his own hands. The Azuréens managed to catch up with their opponents thanks to a 9-4 run. They won the second set 27-25 with an ace from the tireless Jérôme Clere.
And the less good
Returning from the locker room, Saint-Quentin again led the way, guided by an excellent Glen Tuifua. On their side, the Nice players made too many errors in serving, at the net, or stepping over the three-meter line. The hosts let the set slip away at 20-25.
Apparently affected by the loss of the third set, the Azuréens regained their enthusiasm in attack by delivering a 4-0 run right away, thanks notably to Nemanja Cubrilo and David Feughouo. But two blocks from Saint-Quentin disrupted NVB’s great series. The visitors got back in the lead and maintained it. Taking advantage of many Azuréens’ faults, they won this set 23-25 and pushed the hosts to a tie-break.
The Nice team through gritted teeth
Mladen Basic’s men quickly took the lead in the last act. Nickas Seppanen, who had been rather discreet throughout the match, took charge in the attack. He scored 3 of his team’s first 6 points. Then came an excellent service series from David Feughouo. He delivered 2 aces that allowed NVB to widen the gap and lead 10-5. Mladen Kasic’s men calmly managed the end of their match and ultimately won 15-8.
Now, they will need to win at Saint-Quentin next Tuesday to avoid a perilous third home match.
