The French championship offered a real volleyball thriller, in whichSaint-NazaireandSèteplayed four sets, three of which went into extended play. The hosts won with3:1 (26:28, 26:24, 27:25, 25:22)after more than an hour and a half of fierce competition.
The first set started excellently for Saint-Nazaire, who showed stability in reception and aggression in attack. The team achieved success inthe extended play – 28:26, demonstrating composure in key rallies. This set lasted 37 minutes.
In the second set, the roles were reversed. Sète started to pressure with serve and block, and the visitors' task became significantly more complicated. Despite moments of equality, the hosts snatched the set with26:24, evening the match.
The third set was a real whirlwind of emotions.Vladimir Garkov, who played a good match in the first three sets, showed composure andtied the score at 24:24. However, during his reception at 26:25, the ball hit the ceiling – and with that, gave Sète the lead in the match:27:25 and 2:1.
In the fourth set, Saint-Nazaire visibly lost rhythm, and Garkov was substituted after the team experienced difficulties in organization at the beginning of the set. Nevertheless, the visitors tried to come back – and almost succeeded. At24:19Sète already saw the end, but Saint-Nazaire saved three consecutive match points. Just as the tension was returning to the hosts, a wrong serve from the guests came at24:22, which finally closed the match.
Top scorer forSète:
| Player | Points | Ace | Attacks | Block |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Théo Schlienger | 15 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
Top scorers forSt-Nazaire:
| Player | Points | Ace | Attacks | Block |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djenez | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| John | 18 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Vladimir Garkov | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
This fourth loss dropped Saint-Nazaire to eleventh position in the standings.
