11th Indian Ocean Islands Games: Men’s Volleyball (Group B) |30 August 2023

Action from the Seychelles v Mauritius match (Photo: Roland Duval)

Seychelles lose to defending champions Mauritius in second group match

After defeating the Comoros in their opening group B match, Seychelles could not deal with the pressure exerted on them by Mauritius in their second game yesterday, losing 1-3 to the defending champions at the Ankatso Gymnasium in Antananarivo.

It was the Seychelles side who came out more aggressive in the first set, bringing the fight to the champions who took a 14-10 lead, before the players of coach François Magloire fought back, closing the gap to 22-19, 22-20, before tying the match at 23-23.

Mauritius then took a slight 24-23 lead, before Seychelles made it 24-24. The champions stuck on their 24 points, while Seychelles scored two more to win the first set 26-24.

Seychelles started the second set on the same tempo but could not match the Mauritians who had stepped up their game, maintaining the lead throughout.

Our local selection then suffered a huge blow when captain Ricky Vel had to abandon ship following a sprained ankle.

After taking a 15-8 lead, the Mauritians pressed on the accelerator, leaving Seychelles stuck on 11, while they chipped in more points, ending the second set 25-11, tying the match at one set apiece.

In the third set, Seychelles were still bringing the fight to their opponents despite being behind on points.

After taking a 20-16 advantage, Mauritius kept going, maintaining their advantage to win the set 25-19 for a 2-1 advantage.

Again, in the fourth set, the defending champions were the leading side, taking an 18-13 lead, before extending it to 21-14.

Despite being behind, the Seychellois players kept pushing, reaching 17 points, before Mauritius scored their 25th point to close the set 25-17 and the match 3-1.

Coach Magloire said they started the match on a high tempo, and this took its toll on the players who sustained injuries.

Coach Magloire added that at this point, he decided to rest the regular players and give his bench playing time, knowing they had already qualified for the semifinals, following their win over the Comoros in their first group match.

Roland Duval