France: no Games 3 in Quarterfinals! Paris, Poitiers, Montpellier and Sète to semifinals. Tours eliminated!

Best of three quarterfinals series of 2025/26 MARMARA Spike League have been completed today, and there will be no Games 3, as all four teams who won their respective Games 1 claimed their tickets for Semifinals!
No.10 in regular season Paris continue their run, winning their 10th match in last 12 played, eliminating No.1 and defending champions Tours!
After a thrilling Game 1 ended at tie break, the team from country’s capital won in just three hard-fought sets on the field of the rivals, 0-3 (23:25, 24:26, 23:25), joining their first semifinal since 2018!
Joker medical Mathis Henno, who joined Paris to replace injured Tom Kops, once again made the difference, earning MVP honors with 19 points to his name through 63% in attack, while Nik Mujanovic was the only player in double digit for Tours, leaving the court with 22 points through 56% in attack, 1 ace and 1 block, closing his season with 600 points!
Tours, eliminated in quarterfinals for the first time since 2021, will compete in next edition of CEV Challenge Cup thanks to first place in regular season.
Meanwhile, No.2 Montpellier celebrated their 17th home win in 18 games played this season counting all competitions! Interestingly, their only home defeat was against Toulouse, in Round 24 of regular season, played in March.
Their last victim was Cannes who, after a home defeat in Game 1, said goodbye to the competition, after a clean 3-0 (25:16, 25:21, 25:19) defeat. Better in all elements, the winners were led in score by Simon Hirsch, already MVP in Game 1 in Cannes, who tallied 14 points through 63% in attack and 2 blocks, and Ezequiel Palacios, also in double digit with 10, while setter Mathias Sanchez earned MVP honors also contributing with 4 points including 3 of his team’s 8 aces.
Another sensation came from Tourcoing, where also No.3 in regular season has been eliminated by a Sète who, after two seasons ending in 10th place, secured a place in the semi-finals 10 years after their last appearance!
Hugo de Leon and Noa Marttila led the winners with 13 points each, while Nicolas Zerba was awarded MVP for his 6 points through 50% in attack and 2 blocks.
The last semifinalist is Poitiers, who eliminated Toulouse winning 3-0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:23), just like Game 1 on the field of the rivals, led by Kevin Kobrine, who left the court with 17 points through 75% in attack, 2 aces and 1 block, MVP Tom Picard, who added 15 through 72% in attack, 1 ace and 1 block, and Thomas Pujol, also in double digit with 11 points to his name.

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🏐| MARMARA SPIKE LEAGUE 2025/26 | Quarterfinals

Saturday April 4, 2026 | GAME 1
• 15.00 (Local Time) | Cannes (9) – Montpellier (2) 1-3 (18:25, 16:25, 25:22, 20:25) Series: 0-1
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Toulouse (5) – Poitiers (4) 0-3 (23:25, 21:25, 17:25) Series: 0-1
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Paris (10) – Tours (1) 3-2 (23:25, 25:15, 25:23, 26:28, 15:11) Series: 1-0
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Sète (6) – Tourcoing (3) 3-2 (23:25, 25:23, 25:23, 22:25, 15:12) Series: 1-0

👉🏼Thursday April 9, 2026 | GAME 2
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Tours – Paris 0-3 (23:25, 24:26, 23:25) Series: 0-2
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Poitiers – Toulouse 3-0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:23) Series: 2-0
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Montpellier – Cannes 3-0 (25:16, 25:21, 25:19) Series: 2-0
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Tourcoing – Sète 0-3 (23:25, 20:25, 21:25) Series: 0-2

Saturday April 11, 2026 | Game 3 (if necessary)
• TBD (Local Time) | Tours – Paris
• TBD (Local Time) | Poitiers – Toulouse
• TBD (Local Time) | Montpellier – Cannes
• TBD (Local Time) | Tourcoing – Sète

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