France
„I think among all our qualities – physical, technical, mental – the one that made us win tonight is mental. After losing the fourth set, you can tend to fall apart, but my players remained mentally strong through to the end. Obviously, the crowd helped us out as well. The Americans changed their lineup after two sets, adapting to our volleyball. It was hard for us to control them then, but with an incredible Boyer and the ‘French feeling’, we got the win,“ France head coach Laurent Tillie said.
Earvin Ngapeth stressed the importance of Lille crowd in pushing France through the semifinal.
„That was a big game, we knew it. We did two almost perfect sets. Then they changed their lineup and we lost the third and fourth. But we managed to keep our focus to bounce back in the fifth even if it was hard. We cleared our head and started anew with a new fight. The atmosphere here is fantastic. We talk about it on the team. Some of us joined the team nine years ago. We never thought back then that there would be so many people watching and supporting French volleyball. And now we get to play a final in this stadium; this is amazing,“ the outside hitter stated.
To see complete results, stats, and standings, visit our FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2018 / Male / Seniors page.
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