Chronicle No. 4 – November 21, 2022
After eight games in Ligue A Féminine, our Mariannes are in fifth place in the standings (17 points) with six wins and two losses, tied on points with Terville-Florange and just two points behind Les Neptunes de Nantes in first place (19 points, seven wins/one loss).
November was a particularly busy month for all the teams in the Women's League A, with two games to play each week.
Why such a hectic schedule? Well, to make up for the late start to the championship due to the Women's Volleyball World Championship, which ended on October 15, 2022.
Before discussing this challenging month of November for our Mariannes, let us recall that they started the season in the best possible way with two home wins, first against Vandoeuvre-Nancy (3-1) and then against the young French team France Avenir 2024 (3-0).
Between these two matches, Alessandro OREFICE's players came close to pulling off a stunning victory against Neptunes de Nantes at Mangin-Beaulieu in front of nearly 1,800 spectators (worth noting!).
A 3-2 defeat to Nantes was certainly a bitter pill to swallow, but it did earn them a precious point in the race for the playoffs.
"If it thunders in November, the following year will be a good one."
Last season, November was also a busy month, but unfortunately not as glorious. Five games, including one victory in Cannes (3-2), then four defeats against Mulhouse, Le Cannet, Saint-Raphaël (3-2), and Nancy (3-0)... Familiar names in November 2022...
Day 4 – The 2022 French Champion: Volero Le Cannet
A first long trip south to Le Cannet, which promised to be perilous! Playing the 2022 French champions at home with a statistic that speaks for itself: 0 defeats in the previous season in their home arena, Maillan.
Le Cannet underwent a revamp during the off-season, notably with a change of coach, but also the arrival of many promising young players from the Russian national team.
But that was without counting on the determination of Karin PALGUTOVA's teammates (captain of the Mariannes and French champion with Le Cannet during the 2021-2022 season), who clinched the tie-break and then victory. This was the first upset in the 2022-2023 Women's League A season. Although it was only a two-point victory, it was a huge morale boost and marked the team's first away win.
VOLERO LE CANNET 3/2 SF PARIS ST-CLOUD (26/24 24/26 25/17 18/25 12/15)
MVP (Most Valuable Player): CANDELARIA HERRERA
Day 5 – The iconic RC CANNES approaches Paris
Our Mariannes return to Paris to host the legendary Racing Club de Cannes. Two days separate their impressive victory against Le Cannet and their match against Cannes. The players, staff, volunteers, managers... In short, the entire organization is hard at work to keep up with this intense pace.
It was in a packed Géo André hall, with crowds returning in force since the start of the season, that the Mariannes confirmed their strong start to the season and showed that it will be difficult to win here in Paris.
Watched by the Mayor of Saint-Cloud and most of the Saint-Cloud City Council, who came to support the Mariannes, this match had plenty of surprises in store!
The start of the match was breathtaking, with the first and second sets being very close. But it was the Mariannes who made the difference in the third and fourth sets, winning both sets by a slightly wider margin than the first. Despite a good performance from Fantine GATARD, a former resident of our Training Center, it was another home victory that allowed the Mariannes to remain on a three-game winning streak at home, but above all to take three points and leave none to their opponents.
SF PARIS ST-CLOUD 3/2 RC CANNES (25/23 22/25 25/17 25/18)
MVP (Most Valuable Player): Karin PALGUTOVA
Day 6 – A setback in Terville-Florange
The revelation of the 2021-2022 season shows at the start of the championship that TFOC will be a force to be reckoned with this new season. The players of Romain PITOUX, TFOC coach, had well prepared the trap to set for the Mariannes, who were coming off three consecutive victories.
In a packed Room 111, with a deafening atmosphere, TFOC won the first match of the 2022-2023 season with a score of 3 sets to 1, after 2 hours and 6 minutes of play. It was a bitter defeat in which the Mariannes seemed tired... which is normal when you play three matches in such a short space of time...
We'll have to deal with it, as will all the LAF teams this November. We'll have to digest this defeat to be better prepared for our next tough opponent: Saint-Raphaël.
TERVILLE-FLORANGE OC 3/1 SF PARIS SAINT-CLOUD (14/25 25/21 25/22 25/22)
Day 7 – Correcting the aim against Saint-Raphaël
It is sometimes said that once the game starts, friendship no longer exists. Adversity takes over, but always with deep respect for the opponent of the evening...
This was somewhat the case between Saint-Raphaël, coached by Riccardo MARCHESI, a friend of the Mariannes coach Alessandro OREFICE (the two men spent three seasons together at RC CANNES from 2017/2018 to 2019/2022).
After a mixed start to the season, Saint-Raphaël will be looking to build on last Saturday's victory over Vandoeuvre-Nancy. However, Laura Milos' teammates, the former Saint-Raphaël player who has chosen to settle in Paris Saint-Cloud for this new season, will be keen to bounce back.
It was a breathtaking match, with both teams trading blows. The two coaches neutralized each other tactically on many occasions... Saint-Raphaël saved several match points in the fourth set before clinching the set. Down but not out, the Mariannes returned to the court with even more determination and drew on their last reserves of strength and the encouragement of the crowd to turn the tiebreak around and win 3 sets to 2 after... 2 hours and 40 minutes of play! Defensively solid, led by Lucie DEKEUKELAIRE, the Mariannes won the final rally, a last-minute action that allowed them to remain undefeated at home: four wins in as many matches.
SF PARIS SAINT-CLOUD 3/2 SAINT-RAPHAÊL VAR VB (25/17 21/25 25/18 28/30 15/13)
MVP (Most Valuable Player): Lucie DEKEUKELAIRE
Day 8 – The end of the marathon in Mulhouse, Alsace!
Volley Mulhouse Alsace (which replaces ASPTT Mulhouse) is the favorite for this season alongside Le Cannet and Nantes... Teams that have given Les Mariannes a hard time in the past.
Let's not forget that Mulhouse has won every one of its last 14 matches against Les Mariannes. It's a statistic that sends shivers down the spine... But then again, statistics are there to be changed...
After a flying start in the first set, which they won, things got stuck in the second set... The thrill of Mulhouse's comeback was palpable, with the crowd cheering on their players. However, that was without counting on the proud reaction of the Mariannes, who had missed out on the previous set.
The Mariannes sound the death knell and take the third set. The math? One point earned in Mulhouse. That's good, but not enough for the Mariannes and their staff, who want to bring home the victory.
The fourth set is close, then Mulhouse breaks away. But at 22-20, the Mariannes seize the moment to regain the lead. Two consecutive points from Emily THATER, a letterbox shot from Candelaria HERRERA against a well-formed block by the two French internationals Julie OLIVEIRA SOUZA and Léandra OLINGA ANDELA (22-23), and the Mariannes take the lead. A tense end to the set ended with Maria YORDANOVA placing the ball on the line, above the block. A point that meant victory for the Marianas!
In front of 3,100 spectators and after two hours of play, the Mariannes , filmed by BFM Alsace, BFM Paris IDF, RMC Sports Twitch, and LNV TV, ended their losing streak of 14 defeats in as many games against Mulhouse.
VOLLEY MULHOUSE ALSACE 1 / 3 SF PARIS SAINT-CLOUD (18/25 25/18 20/25 24/26
MVP (Most Valuable Player): Karin PALGUTOVA
The Mariannes, at the end of the marathon, are tied for fifth place with Terville-Florange.
In an increasingly competitive league with 8 playoff spots for 14 teams, don't miss out on the opportunity to follow the latest women's volleyball news and come support the Mariannes at Géo André (Rue du Commandant Guilbaud) in Paris's 16th arrondissement.
NEXT MEETING AT HOME
*The Play-Offs: Teams ranked first to eighth will compete in direct matches (home and away) in a knockout format to reach the Ligue A Féminine final and compete for the 2023 French championship title (quarterfinals, semifinals, and final).