France concluded its participation in the first tournament of the Volleyball Nations League in Ottawa (Canada) with a 1:3 (38:40, 25:19, 20:25, 22:25) defeat to Germany after nearly 2 hours and 20 minutes of play.
"Les Bleus" had an excellent chance to win the first set but missed nine set points and dramatically lost 38:40. They then leveled the score after a strong performance by Stephen Boyer, who scored 19 points.
In the third set, the Germans took the initiative thanks to Moritz Reichert, who recorded three consecutive aces, and in the fourth set, they withstood the pressure from the Olympic champions and achieved the final success.
Thus, France finished the first week with one win and three losses. Captain Antoine Brizard admitted that the team is still gelling after roster changes and needs time to build the necessary interactions.
Statistically, the match was extremely even. Germany finished with a minimal advantage in attack (63:61 points) but made the difference from serve, where they recorded 7 aces against 3 for France. The French were more effective in blocking (10:6), and both teams showed equal stability in reception – 86% positive reception each. The Germans also had more digs in defense (78:72), accumulating a total of 109 points against 105 for their opponent.
The top scorer for France was Stephen Boyer with 19 points, while for Germany, John finished with the same tally.
The defeat cost France 10.94 points in the world rankings and temporarily dropped the Olympic champions from sixth to seventh place with a total of 298.22 points. Germany gained 10.94 points and moved closer to the top ten with 256.32 points. This displacement, however, is provisional, as four more matches are yet to be played by the end of the first week of the Nations League, which could again change the standings in the world rankings.
The next challenge for the French is the home tournament in Orléans (June 24–28), where they will face Iran, Cuba, Serbia, and Japan. Coach Andrea Giani emphasized that the young squad needs to gain experience and learn to win crucial points in decisive moments.

photo:volleyballworld.com