The 2025/26 Marmara Spike League quarterfinals opened with a mix of expected results and surprises as all four best-of-three series got underway with Game 1.
Montpellier, the No. 2 seed, secured a 3-1 road victory over Cannes, taking early control of their series. After winning the first two sets comfortably, Montpellier withstood a third-set response led by Xander Ketrzynski, who finished with 28 points. The visitors regrouped in the fourth to close out the match. Simon Hirsch led Montpellier with 19 points and earned MVP honors, while Nicolas Le Goff added 12.
Poitiers, seeded fourth, delivered one of the most convincing performances of the day with a straight-sets win over Toulouse. Kevin Kobrine paced the team with 21 points, while setter Anatole Chaboissant was named MVP.
The biggest surprise came in Paris, where 10th-seeded Paris defeated regular season leader Tours in five sets. Mathis Henno scored 26 points, while Vasilii Molotkov led all players with 28, including six aces.
Sète completed a day of upsets by edging third-seeded Tourcoing in another five-set battle. Despite 30 points from Tourcoing’s Venislav Antov, Sète claimed win, and took a 1-0 series lead.
Results — Quarterfinals Game 1 (April 4, 2026)
- Cannes (9) vs. Montpellier (2) — 1-3 (18-25, 16-25, 25-22, 20-25)
Series: Montpellier leads 1-0 - Toulouse (5) vs. Poitiers (4) — 0-3 (23-25, 21-25, 17-25)
Series: Poitiers leads 1-0 - Paris (10) vs. Tours (1) — 3-2 (23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 26-28, 15-11)
Series: Paris leads 1-0 - Sète (6) vs. Tourcoing (3) — 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12)
Series: Sète leads 1-0
