Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne had promised to learn the lesson learned in Lüneburg, three days earlier in the Champions League. Saturday November 16, for the return to the championship, they responded perfectly to the Narbonne opposition, with a clear and indisputable victory, within the Aude Arena (0-3).
Difficult to dissociate the defeat at Lüneburg, Wednesday November 13, from the victory at Narbonne, three days later, for a Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne which had decided to stay together all week for these two consecutive trips. There is no doubt that the group cohesion desired by the cevébist staff during these six days played a role in the collective performance achieved in Aude, after the German disillusionment.
Marked by this failed start to the Champions League, after a match that they seemed to be able to control but which they let slip away, Silvano Prandi's men took the time to analyze the reasons for the European setback. “It was important to observe in detail what happened during the match and to understand why we were unable to respond to the evolution of this German team during the game”assured the Chaumontais coach, the day before the match against Narbonne.
Moreover, the latter did not want to change his tactical plans for the meeting in Aude. By repositioning the same starting “seven” at kick-off as three days earlier in Lüneburg, he above all offered his current starting team an additional chance to immediately take over. A winning move this time, since the Italian technician left his formation unchanged from the start to the end of the duel, with total success throughout the match.
The beautiful Chaumontese reaction
A contested first set, where only Jacob Pasteur seemed a little below his teammates. Joseph Worsley, for his part, had decided to fairly share the number of attacking balls across the entire width of the net (eight opportunities for his “wingers” Pierre Tolédo and Jacob Pasteur and nine for Mathis Henno, against four in the center for Shane Holdaway and three for Lukas Maase). A distribution which, then, would adapt to the success of the moment of its attackers, for two following rounds much less marked by suspense. No “blockage” either after winning the first two acts (like in Lüneburg): this time, the CVB 52 immediately reacted to the only “break” achieved by the Narbonnais at the start of the third set (3- 1, then 4-4). As if to better show that he had learned the German lesson.
Certainly, the Narbonnais, for their part, displayed a lot of excitement, whether on reception or at the net. But also the consequence of a regular level of play that the Haut-Marnais were able to maintain throughout their performance. An important victory, which allows the Cévebistes to immediately take back control of the course of their destiny, just before the reception of the Poles of Jastrzebski in Palestra, next Wednesday, on behalf of the Champions League. A gala meeting against one of the best teams on the planet: tempting!
Laurent Génin
Mathis Henno: “It could be a benchmark match! »
jhmquotidien: What do you remember from this victory in Narbonne?
Mathis Henno (CVB 52 receiver/attacker): “It's nice to play a match with such mastery, especially after our defeat in the Champions League, in Lüneburg, which hurt us psychologically. This time, we held on for all three sets and achieved a perfect away score, against a Narbonne team who had shown, in previous weeks, that they could annoy the top teams. It can be considered a “reference” match: it’s our first “3-0” away: It feels good! And then it also sends a message to the other teams: we’re here! »
jhmquotidien: What are the technical qualities of your team?
M. H. : “Our main weapon remains, I think, our quality of service. This also allows us to be quite effective in “blocking/defense”. We still have to show ourselves more
regularly to increase efficiency. »
jhmquotidien: How did you manage to move so quickly from the Champions League to the championship?
M. H. : “The defeat at Lüneburg, although it hurt us in relation to the scenario, did not panic us. The fact of staying together until Narbonne, without going back through Chaumont, allowed us to come together. We did not want to follow up with a second negative result. I think the group's state of mind regarding this approach to the match against Narbonne was very good. »
jhmquotidien: But we will have to think very quickly about the Champions League?
M. H. : “Yes, that's the lot of our calendar for this end of the year: we're going to chain and alternate competitions for two months at full speed. This time, we will face the “ogre” of the chicken on Wednesday. The Poles of Jastrzebski are undoubtedly the favorites of our group, but we do not fear any opponent. When we return to the field, it will be to seek a victory, regardless of the team facing us. »
jhmquotidien: At the start of the season against Earvin Ngapeth's Poitiers, we had the impression that the Céveb team was a little overwhelmed by the highly publicized event. Don't you fear the same pattern against the Poles and their two French Olympic champions (Benjamin Toniutti and Timothée Carle)?
M. H. : “It’s true that we suffered a certain amount of pressure against Poitiers, but it was also the start of the season. The collective was not yet as well established as today on the tactical level and in terms of automation. I believe the approach to the match will be somewhat different this time from our side. The state of mind, on our side, has evolved. »
jhmquotidien: How do you feel in your new Chaumnotaise life?
M. H. : “Honestly, I am very happy at Chaumont. It is, of course, a small town but I feel good there. In addition, professionally, everything is done so that we only have to think about our work and volleyball, within a very united and supportive group. »
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The opponent
Lisandro Zanotti (Narbonne receiver/attacker): “This is a new disappointment for us. We knew that this Chaumont team had serious assets, but we have already shown recently that we could shake up any team at the top of the table, like Montpellier for example (3-0 victory). The problem is that we never found solutions on the ground throughout the three sets to thwart the plans of Chaumontais. I think it's mainly a mental problem. We are under pressure and we cannot lift our heads. It's a shame, because once again, our Arena was packed. We will really have to bounce back quickly, and in this situation, the reception of Plessis-Robinson, next week, becomes a very important meeting: victory is obligatory for us, because the gap is starting to widen with the “Top 8” teams. Qualifying for the play-off remains our goal. »
Pierre Toledo as conqueror
Joseph Worsley (2 attacks out of 2, 0 cont., 0 sets, 3 dir. fouls): Awarded by the Narbonne jury as “best man of the match”, the American passer demonstrated, once again, his dexterity and lucidity in this match. We could sometimes criticize him for a tendency, in difficult moments, to complicate his distribution a little further in an attempt to surprise the opponent, at the expense of a simpler game which could also give his attackers confidence.
Shane Holdaway (10 attacks out of 12, 2 cont., 1 ser., 2 dir. fouls): The American central has, for several matches, been the most impactful central of the Cévebist collective. In perfect harmony with his passer, he is efficient on attack, hardworking on the counter and also valuable on serve.
Mathis Henno (14 att. sur 21, 1 cont., 0 ser., 5 fouls dir.) : The young French international once again demonstrated his technical and tactical intelligence. Adapting his offensive game to the situation at hand, he often has the last word at the net. Its power on serve is also an essential weapon. He added a solid reception.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Pierre Toledo (11 attacks out of 17, 0 cont., 4 ser., 3 dir. fouls): By responding to the attack throughout the entire match and martyring Narbonne's reception to the service, the “sharp” cevébist showed himself to be superbly effective. He also added some important defensive moves: a very complete match.
Lukas Maase (2 att. sur 5, 2 cont., 0 ser., 1 foul dir.) : Here are a few matches where the German weighs a little less on his team's play. Less served by his passer in attack, the relationship is less flamboyant than previously. He remains a hard worker on the block, and his “tight” serves can be very annoying for the opponent.
Jacob Pasteur (8 attacks out of 16, 0 cont., 1 ser., 5 dir. fouls): After a very difficult first set for the young American, the awakening was saving in the second, where he notably found a certain offensive realism and more stability in reception.
Sebastian Closter (libero): The Argentinian had a very solid match in reception and was clean in restarts. He was also present in defense, for an overall very satisfactory performance.
Nathan Lietzke : He was the only “man of the bench” to put both feet on the court, for a few seconds in the second set and a passage to the net to raise the counter line.
The perfect score
Two weeks ago, Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne won in three sets at home against Saint-Nazaire, on the seventh day: a record for the Cévebistes who had never waited so long before achieving a “3-0” success since their arrival in the first division of the French championship. The “perfect result” that Silvano Prandi's men repeated on Saturday November 16, but this time away, near Narbonne. A performance which would tend to demonstrate the progress of an increasingly competitive group.
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