Arnaud Lecomte

Tours did not drag. First in the Ligue A regular season and freshly won the Coupe de France, TVB started the quarter-finals in the best of five matches without a false note at home by winning a second victory in 48 hours on Monday against the champion of France, Montpellier (3-0).

If they had left a set on Saturday, the partners of the setter Zeljko Coric this time made their quality of play speak from start to finish, even if they started piano (27-25, 25-19). Montpellier’s reception then exploded in the third set (6-1, 12-5, 18-9) under the fire of the Tours attack (25-14).

« At 21-23 in the first set, we reversed and it was a blow for them. We will have (Friday) a little less pressure but the series remains open “, commented at the microphone of beIN Sports Marcelo Franckowiak, the coach of TVB, before the third match Friday in Montpellier.

His counterpart Olivier Lecat, he does not resign himself to the opposing superiority even if the challenge of keeping his crown becomes difficult for the Hérault club, eighth in the regular season. ” We are playing better and better but that is not enough. They do walk on water a bit though. We wear out on this well-oiled organization. But there are still matches, we have to hang on and keep pushing. »

Tourcoing only away winner after eight matches

Tourcoing is the only team so far to win away after the first eight matches in this final phase. With 18 points from Renan Buiatti, the TLM (5th) equalized in their series at Narbonne (4th) by winning dryly 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-23). This may bode well for a long series because the Centurions, who travel twice, Friday and Sunday, to Roubaix, have the best record in Ligue A on the move (ten wins in thirteen matches).

After being down two sets to zero and winning the tie-break on Saturday, Nantes-Rezé (2nd) started again slowly on Monday but took the measure (3-1, 25-23, 21-25, 25- 19, 25-19) for the second time from Sète (7th), and will move with a good mattress (2-0) Friday to Barrou.

Chaumont (3rd) also dropped a set, the only one in the series so far, at home against promoted Saint-Nazaire (6th) but won 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25- 18, 25-22) coming up four points behind in the fourth set (from 19-20 to 23-20). The Haut-Marnais also took things the right way.