The players of Montpellier have arrived at the Halle Carpentier in Paris. They were greeted by a dozen supporters of the MHSC.
Set 1: 0-5. A very bad start for the MHSC, exemplified by a missed reception by Spanish libero Ruiz Posadas, forcing Le Marrec to call his first time-out.
The match has begun after the French national anthem. Will Montpellier win their first Coupe de France?
The atmosphere at the Halle Carpentier is lively. Both sets of supporters are singing, with the advantage to the more numerous Nantes fans in Paris.
The Montpellier players are warming up just over 30 minutes before the start of the match.
After their victory against Nantes at home (3-2) eight days ago, the Montpellier players spent a lot of time on the road, in a bus borrowed from the MHSC football team. They first went to Tours for the first playoff match, then back to Montpellier for recovery before heading to Paris with a 24-hour stop in Orléans.
Regardless of the winner, it will be a first-time champion. Nantes-Rezé and MHSC VB have never won the Coupe de France, with only one player in Montpellier’s squad having won it before in 2022 with Chaumont.
The Halle Georges-Carpentier in the 13th arrondissement of Paris is hosting the final. With a capacity of about 4800 spectators, the MHSC VB can expect support from 200 fans from Montpellier and beyond.
In the same venue on Saturday night, Nantes defeated Mulhouse 3-0 in the women’s Coupe de France final.
Leading up to the final, several encouragement videos were shared on social media by the MHSC VB players, including greetings from footballers Jordan Ferri, Téji Savanier, and champion volleyball player Julien Lyneel.
The weather is beautiful in the capital as the MHSC players enjoyed a morning warm-up in a nearby park, some even playing table tennis as a nod to Montpellier’s own Félix and Alexis Lebrun.
