Volleyball: Against Tours, “we can say that everything is possible” according to Montpellier coach Loic Le Marrec

Loic Le Marrec croit en ses joueurs. Midi Libre – Giacomo Italiano

The MHSC VB championship quarter-final against Tours begins this Tuesday (8 p.m.) with the first duel in a series of three winning matches. MHSC VB coach Loic Le Marrec speaks before a week which will end with the final of the Coupe de France, Sunday (3:30 p.m.) in Paris against Nantes.

What was your reaction when you discovered the identity of your opponent in the quarter-final of the championship?

We know, first of all, that playing in Tours is never easy. This season, it’s a team that has two faces. It is capable of being stratospheric but also of having empty passages. Considering our two matches won this season against TVB, we can say that anything is possible.

Your team is moving forward with a certain number of certainties…

Indeed, I have had certainties for a long time. I know that my players are concerned about the upcoming deadlines, that they display a very high level of performance, that they are consistent… hellip; A certain serenity emanates from this team.

Except Chaumont, your team beat everyone in the regular season…

When I was named head coach in January, we had never beaten a Top 4 opponent. We did it against Saint-Nazaire who collapsed a bit Since. We then won against Tourcoing, Tours then Nantes. This is no coincidence.

How do you win a series in three winning games ?

You have to be patient, know how to let go of frustration, accept that your opponents have good times, that you are sometimes in difficulty. If we manage not to give up, we will have a chance of qualifying. As long as the last point is not completed, anything is possible.

You start this series with two matches in Tours. Is it a big problem not to have home field advantage?

Yes, I find it. It’s been a long time since we lost at home. We are at home, we have our marks. It’s not an advantage not to start with us, in fact.

Are the play-offs really a special time of the season, completely different from the regular season?

This is pretty typical of volleyball. From experience, everything is reset to zero in the play-offs, the cards are reshuffled. Now it's “one against one”. And if we pass, we will play against an even stronger team until we come face to face with the final boss as they say in video games. We are entering a new moment of the season.

Between the first two matches in Tours, Tuesday and Wednesday April 3, you will play a Coupe de France final, Sunday, in Paris against Nantes. How is this special??

Should we make changes to the team in Tours in anticipation of this final? This could unconsciously be sending the wrong message, that we are not playing the first match of the play-offs with all our weapons… I ask myself a lot of questions. I think it would be a mistake to think about the final during match 1 in Tours.

MHSC VB Calendar

Quarter-final/Match 1: Rounds – MHSC VB, Tuesday March 26 (8 p.m.)
Coupe de France Final: MHSC VB – Nantes, Sunday March 31 (3:30 p.m.)
Quarter-final/Match 2: Rounds – MHSC VB, Wednesday April 3
Quarter-final/Match 3: MHSC VB – Tours, Saturday April 6
Quarter-final/Match 4 (if necessary): MHSC VB – Tours, Monday April 8
Quarter-final/Match 5 (if necessary): Rounds – MHSC VB, Thursday April 11

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