Nice Volley Ball is kicking off its 11th season among the elite. New recruits, a new season, but the same face. Only one thing has changed: the team’s ambition has stepped up a notch.
“The team is better than last season.” For Mladen Kasic, the Croatian coach of Nice Volley Ball, there is no doubt that the level of his team has significantly improved.
The astute recruitment of 3 players in key positions has brought more quality to the NVB squad. With the arrivals of Ghazi Guirada, a Tunisian center from Paris Volley, and Pascal Ragondet, a libero from AS Cannes, the French champion of 2005; the team aims to be more competitive and has set a new ambition: “Why not reach the playoff semi-finals this year, after getting to the quarterfinals last year?” subtly suggests Alain Griguer, president of the Nice club.
The coach, however, wants to be more measured in his statements: “If we make it to the playoffs, it will already be a good season. We are a team with a small budget, we can’t really expect more.”
While waiting for the season to resume, the NVB is preparing seriously for the 2005/2006 season. The team went on an eight-day training camp near Levens at the end of August. “We worked well during this period. We focused on physical training and teamwork, and created automatic plays among the players,” emphasizes Mladen Kasic, before adding: “This year, I really have a magnificent group.”
The only shadow over the situation is the 6 strong teams in the championship (Cannes, Paris, Poitiers, Sète, Tourcoing, Tours) who are almost untouchable: According to the coach from Nice, “it will be tight between 7th and 12th place. We will fight with Montpellier, Rennes, and Beauvais to get a playoff spot this year.”
Xavier Kapfer, the NVB’s receptionist-attacker and a French international, is more optimistic: “We get along well with the coach. The audience is very welcoming and friendly. With this team, more stable than last year, we will have fewer poor performances this season. We might be able to go after the big teams. If we make it to the playoffs, anything is possible.”
Last year, Nice Volley Ball started the season chaotically, accumulating 6 losses in the first 6 games. This season, Mladen Kasic is firmer: “We are going to focus on our first 3 matches against manageable teams (Toulouse, Ajaccio, and Beauvais). We can’t afford to make mistakes. We need a good start.”
The Croatian coach has shown the way, now it’s up to the players to follow it…
First insights on October 1st at 8:00 PM, at Palmeira Hall against Toulouse.
Sebastien Spitaleri
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