Volleyball: a special season that does not prevent Arago de Sète from being ambitious
Le président estime que le recrutement permet de viser haut.
La reprise approche, le président Alain Bilicki dresse un état des lieux enthousiaste.
After a summer season that was a great success on the beach, with for example the Olympic gold medalist Benjamin Toniutti who came to make an appearance during the beach training camp or the success of the Green Arago with 400 players, it's time for the “indoor” season.
Rising youth
And it is with a renewed squad in great width that the Arago is preparing to take its departure. « This group was built along several important axes”, specifies the president Alain Bilicki. « First, I am keen that there is always at least one player from Sète in the group. After Hugo Fouillade and Matthieu Garcia, we will have Enzo Lopez who signed his first professional contract. He is only 18 years old, but is considered a great French hope in his position as libero, world champion with the French U19 team and now European champion U20 and U22. » A promising youth in Sète. « The latest promotion of the France pole is considered the strongest since the Toniutti/Ngapeth generation. At Arago, we will have three players from this generation with, in addition to Enzo Lopez, Tristan Schlienger, a 2.09 m center forward, and Jean-Marc Kalato, a 2.08 m center blocker. Finally, we have targeted players with a physical dimension, important now to be competitive at the highest level, but also with a big personality to face a season that will be, by definition, special since we will not be playing at Barrou. »
Homeless
This is the whole specificity (or even the danger) of this season. Arago, deprived of its cauldron until January 2026, will be the homeless team of the Marmara SpikeLigue. Five matches, between October 6 and March 16, will be scheduled in Béziers, two others in Castelnau-le-Lez (November 16 and January 25). The remaining five will be at the Maurice-Vié gymnasium. « It was important to be able to continue to develop partly in Sète,” continues the president of Arago. « Already for our supporters and partners, but also because the team will train in Maurice-Vié and will therefore have its sporting marks in this hall. »
We will still have to adapt, including in the stands. « In Vié, as the number of places available will be very limited, we had to make choices. Only previous subscribers will be able to take out a subscription this season, the rest of the available places, around a hundred, will be put on sale at each match on a first come, first served basis. However, we have planned a system to allow our supporters to follow these matches with a transmission of the matches within the Arago village in Barrou. »For the matches that will take place in Béziers and Montpellier, classic ticketing will be available.
Top 4 for Christmas?
Under these conditions, what can be the objectives?« In recent seasons, the objectives set from the start have perhaps put too much pressure on the players and the management. So this year, we have set ourselves a first objective: to finish in the top four in the first leg matches, we will make an initial assessment at that time. I do not think that this is too ambitious given the quality of the recruitment. Gelinski was French champion with Luc Marquet in Cannes three seasons ago, Elser was a key player in his German club which reached the final of the CEV European Cup. And Gyimah, the other Canadian, is a player who could become the revelation in MSL at the central position this season. The Brazilian De Leon has a combination of technique and size that has made him a reference since he has been playing in France. Not forgetting Cardin who will inevitably be very vengeful as well as our metronome in net Gauna. »
Health, first!
It's up to the players to manage to cope with playing and training conditions that will not necessarily be optimal. « The only thing that worries me and that has seriously handicapped us in recent seasons is injuries. Since I have been president, we have not had a season without our striker being injured for almost half the season. Célestin Cardin last year, Russell two years ago and Tupchii the year I became president… I spoke about it with the sports management, there will be a lot of vigilance on this dimension this season. »
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