In the first leg of the quarter-finals of the play-offs, Nice Volleyball won 3 sets to 0 against Alès in a very tight match. Mladen Kasic’s men will go to the Gard on Tuesday to seek qualification for a potential semi-final against the formidable Poitiers.
A grand evening atmosphere at the Palmeira Hall. The scent of the final phases filled the den of Nice volleyball players for a first match that is always special, a week after the end of the regular season. The opponent in these quarter-finals, Alès, who finished fifth, had given NVB a hard time in the championship (3-2 victory at home and away).
In the first set, it was the visitors who led the race thanks to a powerful serve from Jérôme Clere (3-5 then 6-8). Despite good defense, the Nice team couldn’t regain the lead. In fact, it was the Gard team that created the first gap (9-12). But as often, it was captain Alexsandar Mitrovic who got his team back on track (18-17). The end of the set was very confusing with protests from both sides over balls being touched or out. The duo Nenchev-Mitrovic concluded the first set 25-23. Palmeira could stand up.
The second set started in the best possible way for NVB with an initial 2-0, but Alès quickly caught up (6-6). It was the moment chosen by the Nice team to adjust their attack, a 5-0 that left the Gard team stunned (14-8). Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth in this first quarter-final match, and it was the Cévennes club’s turn to score a 5-0 to tie at 18-18. In the money-time, Mitrovic chained points and an ace by Nenchev gave the second set to the Azur team.
In the third set, both teams were neck and neck (2-2 then 5-5). And in just a few points, NVB achieved the biggest gap of the match with a 10-0 (14-5). As in the first two sets, the Alès players had resilience and showed real character (15-13). William Bersani Da Costa was the man of this third set. The Nice player was at the reception, blocking, and finishing. It was he who allowed his team to create a decisive gap again (21-18). Like the previous set, Stoyko Nenchev made Palmeira erupt by securing the victory with another ace.
“You can really see that a new championship begins when the play-offs arrive. We were solid and it was necessary against a very combative team. I just regret the opponent’s comebacks when we were +6, +7,” explained the Nice coach after the match.
Mladen Kasic’s protégés achieved a great operation with this 3-0 victory, which was more difficult than the score suggests. The return leg, as early as Tuesday, should show the real potential of a Nice team that had doubts at the end of the championship.
