France: Nice down Narbonne and fly (temporarily) to sixth place!

After the advance played yesterday, in which Montpellier sweep Plessis-Robinson in straight sets, 2025/26 Marmara Spike League Round 16 continued today with the very important clash for playoffs race between Nice and Narbonne, ended with the score of 3-1 (19:25, 32:30, 25:13, 25:15) in favor of the home team in a game that has been delayed after first two sets for rain!
After losing the opening set and struggling to find their rhythm, the home side regrouped to win second one overtime, thanks to a monster block and a powerful spikes from Shay Liberman, great protagonist of the night (25 points at the end of the match, including the one that closed the game, through 52% in attack, 4 aces and 4 blocks), before the match was suspended at 1-0 of third set.
And, when the game started again, Nice never looked back, winning the next two sets without major problems.
Setter Wessel Keemink earned MVP honors, while Dawid Dulski scored 25 points too, like Michael Czerwinski on the other side of the net.
Interestingly, this was Nice’s fourth home win in a row after Ajaccio, Montpellier and Toulouse, but for them it was also the debut of new outside hitter Titouan Hallé (today on the bench), hired as joker medical instead of injured Ryley Barnes (out until the end of ongoing season), as previously announced!
Round 16 will continue tomorrow with other four games.

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🏐| MARMARA SPIKE LEAGUE 2025/26 | JOURNÉE 16 | Round 16

Thursday January 15, 2026
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Montpellier – Plessis-Robinson 3-0 (25:23, 27:25, 25:21)

👉🏼Friday January 16, 2026
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Nice – Narbonne 3-1 (19:25, 32:30, 25:13, 25:15)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

Saturday January 17, 2026
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Paris – Tourcoing 1-3 (29:27, 21:25, 20:25, 17:25)
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Chaumont – Poitiers 0-3 (21:25, 23:25, 23:35)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Ajaccio – Tours 0-3 (20:25, 22:25, 21:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | St-Nazaire – Cannes 2-3 (26:24, 23:25, 22:25, 25:19, 12:15)

Sunday January 18, 2026
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Sète – Toulouse

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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day):
1. Tours 38
2. Montpellier 37
3. Tourcoing 34
4. Plessis Robinson 29
5. Poitiers 24
6. Nice 23
7. Sète 20
8. Toulouse 20
9. Narbonne 19
10. Cannes 19
11. Paris 15
12. Chaumont 15
13. Saint Nazaire 14
14. Ajaccio 14.

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🏐| NEXT GAMES | JOURNÉE 17 | Round 17

Thursday January 22, 2026
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Toulouse – Narbonne

Saturday January 24, 2026
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Toulouse – Narbonne
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Paris – Chaumont
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Plessis-Robinson – Nice
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Poitiers – St-Nazaire
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Montpellier – Ajaccio
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Tourcoing – Sète
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Tours – Cannes

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