There were obviously several dozen waiting for him at the exit of the locker room, pencil in hand to get an autograph. As in every room in France, of course. But in Tours a little more, no doubt. Because after his surprise arrival in Poitiers, the town of his childhood, it was a bit of a second return home for Earvin Ngapeth in Grenon.
“I was super happy to come back. I had already returned with Modena, it had gone badly (in the CEV Cup in January 2022, 3-1 victory for TVB)so I wanted things to go better, smiled the MVP of the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. I'm really happy to be playing in this room, which is full as well. I spent important moments of my life here. »
“I loved the atmosphere and the match”
It was in Grenon that he was launched into the professional deep end with Tours Volley-Ball, on October 11, 2008, by his father Éric, then coach. Who was present in the stands Friday evening, to see his son and Alterna Stade Poitevin dominate TVB (1-3). “There was my dad, alongside Mr. Pascal Foussard, it was great”savors Earvin Ngapeth, who also enjoyed meeting Frantz Granvorka, the new general manager of TVB: “He’s a player that I have admired when I was younger.”
This match was therefore “ an evening of emotions » for the French international, but he did not let himself be overwhelmed and was more than decisive in the success of his team. As evidenced by his good statistics, 24 points at 22/44 on attack! “I loved the atmosphere and the match. »
After this all-around performance, Earvin Ngapeth of course won the MVP of the match.
© (Photo cor. NR, Jonathan Michel)
A clearly contagious pleasure, because even despite the defeat and the current gloomy period of the TVB (four losses and one success), the young Alexandre Strehlau enjoyed confronting one of the best players in the world. “It’s a lot of fun, because he’s someone who has fun on the pitch. And playing against him is a challenge, you want to tickle him and make him come and get you.”explains the 20-year-old receiver-attacker.
“You can’t ask him for anything more.”
Earvin Ngapeth’s aura spares no one. His coach Dan Lewis is full of praise. “How many of his attacks hit the baseline again tonight, wow, he enthused Friday evening. He takes a big leadership role. He gives a lot in training, he is always there for the group… You can't ask for anything more from him. »
It was therefore quite natural that the Touraine public acclaimed him, when he entered the field and then when he left, MVP trophy in hand, but also for his dazzling attacks, which carried his entire team towards the victory. “We were dominant in all areas of the game, savored Ngapeth. In addition, we was coming off two defeats (3-0 in Sète and 1-3 against Tourcoing), so we really wanted to have a good match”to finish this crazy sequence of three matches in five days.
“It was important to return to victory, for the lead, he confirms. There, we have 48 hours of rest, it will be good…” Even great champions need to recover. And after this successful return to Tours, there is no doubt that Earvin Ngapeth will continue to make Alterna Stade Poitevin shine, all over France…
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