In a Round 8 closure of the French 2023/24 Marmara Spike League, Nantes-Rezé staged an impressive comeback against the reigning champions and Supercup winners, Tours. The tie-break concluded with a 15-13 victory for Nantes in front of a lively crowd of 3,764 at the Trocardière hall, maintaining their unbeaten run this season.
Despite being down by two sets, Nantes-Rezé demonstrated extraordinary tenacity to defeat Tours in a gripping match with scores of 19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 15-13. This win marks Nantes-Rezé’s eleventh consecutive victory in all competitions, solidifying their top position in the SpikeLigue standings, leading over Chaumont with an 8-0 record.
The star of the match was Brazilian opposite Chizoba Neves who contributed significantly with 21 points.
Tours, buoyed by their recent Champions League victory (3-1 against Rzeszów), initially took the lead, propelled by their strong serve and block, with Dutch middle blocker Michael Parkinson standing out. However, their Brazilian opposite, Aboubacar Drame Neto, paled in comparison to Chizoba, managing only 13 points with a 32% attack efficiency.
Ligue A – Round 8
- November 24, 2023
Toulouse vs. Tourcoing 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 16-25, 25-23) - November 25, 2023
Saint-Jean d’Illac vs. Sète 0-3 (17-25, 26-28, 23-25)
Plessis Robinson vs. Chaumont 0-3 (14-25, 20-25, 23-25)
Nice vs. Montpellier 0-3 (15-25, 21-25, 13-25)
Poitiers vs. Paris 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 16-14)
Saint Nazaire vs. Narbonne 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-19) - November 26, 2023
Nantes Rezé vs. Tours 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 15-13)