France: Round 21 has been completed - Nice down Narbonne! Victory also for Paris, Plessis-Robinson, Tourcoing, Sète and Tours. Chaumont KO

After yesterday advance, in which Nantes won the big match for second place against Saint Nazaire in just three sets, Round 21 of 2022/23 Ligue A has been completed today.

Starting from the top, prediction respected in the game between leaders Tours and last-placed Cambrai. The game ended with a clear 3-0 (25:16, 25:20, 25:20), and also a clear superiority of the winning side: 62% of team performance in attack, 10 winning blocks, three players in double digit and +6 from pursuers Nantes, who played the advance yesterday and boast 44 points in the standings.
Behind them, three teams who share at this moment the same number of points, 41: Tourcoing, Saint Nazaire (defeated yesterday in the direct clash vs. the same Nantes), and Chaumont.
Taking advantage also from unexpected defeat of Narbonne in Nice, and thanks to three well-deserved points earned today on the field of Poitiers, Tourcoing is now at third place. The game ended after fourt hard-fought sets but, eventually, the attack made the difference. Partially it was 25:23, 21:25, 27:29 and 18:25, and Renan Buiatti and Moritz Reichert shared the title of top scorers with 17 points each, followed by Gregory Gempin, who also contributed with 12.
Another upset bears the signature of Sète, who celebrated a 3-1 (21:25, 26:24, 25:18, 25:23) home win against a Chaumont who, a couple of weeks ago, was struggling for first place, and now is only fifth.

Remain at sixth place Narbonne who, as already mentioned above, suffered a 3-0 (25:23, 25:22, 25:23) defeat on the field of a very combative Nice (now at 10th place, and -9 points from Playoffs zone).
Although the absences of starting setter Javier Gonzalez (out until the end of season), middle-blocker Rodney Ah-Kong and opposite Celestin Cardin, both in starting six, the hosts played really a great volleyball, led in score by Wilian Doardo and François Rebeyrol, 14 points each, but also Steven Marshall, who also contributed with 11 points including the decisive winning block of 21-20 in second set and other balls in attack who made the difference in hot moments of the game.
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

Three points also for Paris, who redeemed themselves from the midweek defeat in Recovery of Round 14, and defeated Toulouse by 3-1 (25:19, 25:21, 23:25, 25:13) in front of their home fans with 13 winning blocks (7 by Pablo Crer) and 20 points by top scorer Joachim Panou, and for Plessis-Robinson, who made another upset today.
They defeated Montpellier by 3-1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:19, 25:19), literally blocking the rivals, with 17 points from this element!
The defending champions remain to the eighth place in the standings, while Plessis can celebrate now a +11 from relegation zone.

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🏐| Ligue A 2022/23 | JOURNÉE 21 | Round 21

| Friday February 17, 2023
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Nantes Rezé – Saint-Nazaire 3-0 (25:18, 25:22, 25:13)

👉🏼 Saturday February 18, 2023

• 18.00 (Local Time) | Paris – Toulouse 3-1 (25:19, 25:21, 23:25, 25:13)

• 19.00 (Local Time) | Plessis-Robinson – Montpellier 3-1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:19, 25:19)

• 19.00 (Local Time) | Nice – Narbonne 3-0 (25:23, 25:22, 25:23)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

• 19.30 (Local Time) | Poitiers – Tourcoing 1-3 (25:23, 21:25, 27:29, 18:25)

• 19.30 (Local Time) | Séte – Chaumont 3-1 (21:25, 26:24, 25:18, 25:23)

• 20.00 (Local Time) | Tours – Cambrai 3-0 (25:16, 25:20, 25:20)

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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Tours 50
2. Nantes 44
3. Tourcoing 41
4. Saint Nazaire 41
5. Chaumont 41
6. Narbonne 38
7. Sète 33
8. Montpellier 31
9. Paris 28
10. Nice 22
11. Poitiers 22
12. Toulouse 21
13. Plessis Robinson 19
14. Cambrai 8

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🏐| NEXT ROUND | JOURNÉE 21 | Round 22

Friday February 24, 2023
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Tours – Poitiers

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