Nothing happened. Neither the last-minute withdrawal of the starting passer from Ajaccio replaced by a youngster from the training center for whom it was a first in League B, nor the return of Guelle in the second set to try to restore order after a first set totally failed, nor these two money times where, at 23-22 and 24-23 after saving three match points, the Pirates will finally have succeeded showed the tip of their nose.
Ajaccio, winner 3-0, was superior in almost all areas of play and in particular blocking, an area where Royan usually excels with its two twin towers Faustino and Kofané which we hardly saw (1 against each), facing the Corsicans having intelligently avoided the game in the center, favoring that on the wings where the sharp Bala on a good evening made it possible to conclude the second and third round.
“Not at our level”
In short, at the end of a meeting completed in 1 hour 20 minutes, no one questioned the superiority of the undefeated leader, facing an opponent measuring a little more after his outing in Fréjus, the gap separating him from the big cars of this championship. Starting with his trainer Grégory Alleix, very lucid when delivering his analysis straight away. “Ajaccio had an almost perfect start to the match, beating us (6-0), which set the tone for the match. He put a lot of pressure on his service block. His young passer played his part. It allowed us to set up a quick game. We didn’t know how to be clean on the wings and were lacking in the offensive sector where we failed to produce what we wanted. »
“Without having completely got through it, we have not produced what we are capable of doing”
“The regret is not having evolved at our level, but tonight the opponent was stronger, there is nothing to say about that. Ajaccio is a very difficult team to maneuver and in coming here, the objective was first of all to show progress in our collective expression by finding a better balance,” confided a coach considering that on point, the contract was not completed. “This was the case in Fréjus but without us completely getting through it, we did not produce what we are, I think, capable of doing. At the start of the second and third sets, we were certainly neck and neck (4-6… 11-11), but without consistency and by committing mistakes, we logically gave in to an opponent of this caliber. »
Facing Reims on Saturday, which managed to bring down Fréjus, it is another battle that Royan will now have to lead and win to save an unconvincing start to the season.
Ajaccio 3 – Royan 0
Lieu Ajaccio (The Palatine) Spectators 1 200 environ Referees 2000 Joyful and proud Sets 25-12 (20’) ; 25-22 (29’) ; 25-23 (29’)
AJACCIO 6 aces, 11 blocks, 38 winning attacks, 12 unforced errors including 7 on serve. The team. Serafin (3), Salles (9), Patak (12), Bala (18), Weidner (4), Lacassie (cap, 9). Libero: Grosnon
ROYAN 2 aces, 3 blocks, 39 winning attacks, 20 unforced errors including 8 on serve. The team. Paulin, Faustino (5), Bernard (11), Abdelhedi (15), Kofané (6), Oriol (cap, 4). Libero: Pasquier. Entered into play: Guelle Lallemand (3)
