The Marmara SpikeLigue is back. Opening the 2025-2026 season, Nice Volley-Ball faced off against Tourcoing. A match that went to the 5th set.
New season, new team for Nice Volley-Ball. After concluding the previous campaign in the quarter-finals and in 5th place of the regular season, Brice Donat’s men enter the year of confirmation. With no fewer than eight contract renewals for eight departures, including that of last season’s key player, Simon Hirsch, and five new arrivals, the team remains generally stable. Some key players from the previous season, such as Merrick McHenry and the iconic captain Rodney Ah-Kong, are still there.
The Eagles will need to rely on this foundation to have a successful season. To kick off this new act, the people of Nice hosted the Northerners from Tourcoing. The match start is encouraging for Brice Donat’s men. Carried by the offensive power of Shay Mayo Liberman (17 points, 55% success rate) and the consistency of Dawid Dulski (19 points), they claim the first set (25-22) thanks to a series of serves and a more effective and less error-prone block than their evening opponents.
But Tourcoing, led by an inspired duo Antov–Roehrig (25 and 13 points), turns the tide from the second set. The visitors widen the gap right from the start of the second set with three attacks from Martinez Franchi to lead (0-4). A gap that Nice manages to reduce through sheer determination. The set is closely contested, and two mistakes from Nice allow Tourcoing to win it (24-26).
The third set confirms this shift. Nice starts well but falls behind once again before coming back at the end of the set. At (20-21), some reception errors and a more predictable attack allow the Northerners to conclude and take the lead in the score (23-25).
The Eagles Bounce Back
Already under pressure, the Eagles do not falter. The fourth act completely reignites the match. More disciplined at the block and sharper in attack (49% collective success rate), the Azuréens crush Tourcoing (25-16). Keemink regains the pace in the pass, and McHenry and Barnes (21 and 13 points) stabilize the team.
The tie-break, watched by over 700 spectators who came to support the Eagles at the Giamarchi/Palmeira hall, eventually turns in favor of Thibaut Gosselin’s men. More clear-headed and efficient in defense (60% offensive success rate), Tourcoing quickly takes the lead (10-6, 12-7) and closes the match (15-11). Nice, penalized by 26 direct errors, pays for its lack of consistency in crucial moments.
Despite the defeat, Nice’s performance remains promising. The team showed character and a strong capacity to react. However, the effectiveness of service and receiving consistency must improve to hope for better outcomes against more seasoned opponents. Tourcoing, solid and opportunistic, marks a logical victory at the end of an uncertain duel, confirming its status as a difficult team to manage.
In its first match of the season at home, Nice Volley-Ball conceded a narrow defeat (2-3) against Tourcoing, after two and a half hours of a balanced battle (25-22, 24-26, 23-25, 25-16, 11-15). The Niçois showed some excellent sequences but sometimes lacked consistency in key moments. There’s no time to dwell for Rodney Ah-Kong’s partners, who will head to Toulouse on Saturday for the second day of Marmara SpikeLigue.
