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Toulouse defeated Lyon even without Rossard

Nantes got back from Paris defeated, not really surprising because of the big changes in the team. Can they win at home, remains to be seen

Gian Foto / piemontevolley.it

It's never pleasant to go to Paris in the first round, especially when you have to replace 3/4 of your team. Nobody had big expectations from Nantes in the away game against the vice champion, too much has changed compared to the last season, and they didn't really seem convincing in the pre-season, either. After two sets, it seemed they'll go down without a real hit, but then we saw some of the repertoire, they closed the gap to 2-1, but couldn't get the point. 

They made too many mistakes because they still aren't practiced as a team, they lack automatic moves, which can only be gained by playing matches. The opposite Perez hasn't been in competitive games for too long, and it reflected on his game. He only got seven points in four sets on the court, and the Austrian Berger took the role of the main hitter, scored 21 points with 63% realization. The rest of the team didn't really support him, and Nantes won only one set. They showed a part of their abilities, but there has to pass some time before they show anything better. Coach Demar pointed out: 

- I think we deserve some credit with our fans most of all because of what happened last season. We got into the playoffs when nobody expected that. This team has the potential, but some time has to pass before we start to show it. 

Gian Foto / piemontevolley.it

Toulouse started their first game without their best player, Rossard, who didn't manage to recover from his injury. Coach Enard didn't want to risk with a player half-ready, so the newcomer Grardinarov played as the opposite, and crushed Lyon with 19 points.

- You could notice a certain tension in my players in the first two sets, but they left me speechless after that. This is a team win - Toulouse coach said.

Their offense had 54% realization, 16 blocks and continued with the same game that lead them to the fourth place last season. Besides Gradinarov, Burel stood out with six blocks (10 points), as well as the young Clevenot with 13, but also the young setter Saitta who organized the game flawlessly. Today, Rossard should be in the starting lineup, which is a huge plus for Toulouse.