The step was too high: Tours and Montpellier, the two French clubs involved in the Volleyball Champions League, lost three sets to a Wednesday at home respectively against Civitanova and Jastrzebski, European greats, during the second competition day.
The Tourangeaux, winners of the C1 in 2005, folded in the evening after winning the first leg (23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20) against the club of the formidable Italian receiver-attacker Ivan Zaytsev and of the French international Barthélémy Chinenyeze.
However, they still have a chance of getting out of their pool, especially since they won their first meeting last week, against the Belgians of Knack Roeselare.
Earlier, reigning French champion Montpellier lost to Jastrzebski’s Polish armada (23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20) in their first Champions League meeting. home volleyball.
Indeed, the Hérault club had not played in the C1 since 1975, at a time when it was still called the “Champions Cup”.
The Montpellier residents were no match for this European cador, where the Polish international Tomasz Fornal plays in particular, but also three French Olympic champions: Trévor Clévenot, Benjamin Toniutti and Stephen Boyer.
Only sixth in Ligue A, the MHSC-VB has however chained five victories in the French championship. But his apprenticeship at the highest European level so far only goes through defeats: the club was also defeated on the first day of the Champions League last week against Friedrichshafen in the decisive set (3-2).
After two days, Montpellier is currently last in group A, which also includes the Serbian club Novi Sad.