Volleyball
France announce players and Beach Volleyball duos for Baku Games
Archive
Article Tue, May 12 2015
Paris, France, May 12, 2015. On Tuesday the French Volleyball Federation announced the names of the players that will compose their delegation for the upcoming European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. France will be represented there by their men’s national team as well as by three pairs in the Beach Volleyball competition.
As Laurent Tillie will be at the helm of the team participating in this year’s FIVB Volleyball World League, the 14 ‘Bleus’ competing in Baku will be placed under the guidance of Marc Francastel. “Everything got started with the list of players retained by Laurent for the World League,” he said, “which includes most of those who finished in fourth place at last year’s World Championship in Poland. However, Laurent wanted to see and test some more players with the national team, since he is about to create an extended group and willing to create some more competition within the team. The European Games are therefore a good opportunity for these players to take on international matches according to a format which follows the one set up for the Olympics and knowing that our ultimate goal is to make it to Rio 2016 and to perform well there, also young players have to get accustomed with this culture and situations. The team for Baku also includes players who have taken up on their responsibilities throughout the club season which has just come to an end.”
The 14 players called up for the European Games are:
Setters: Toafa Takaniko (Arago de SETE), Raphaël Corre (NICE VB)
Middle Blockers: Quentin Jouffroy (ASUL LYON), Nicolas Gardien (TOURS VB), Jonas Aguenier (AS CANNES), Philippe Tuitoga (Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB), Jhon Wendt (NARBONNE Volley)
Opposite: Faipule Kolokilagi (CHAUMONT VB 52)
Outside Spikers: Baptiste Geiler (VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN/GER), Guillaume Quesque (JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel/POL), Trévor Clevenot, Thibault Rossard (Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB)
Liberos: Steve Peironet (BEAUVAIS Oise), Nicolas Rossard (Arago de SETE)
As for Beach Volleyball, Laura Longuet/Mélinda Adelin compose the duo for the women’s competition whilst France will be represented by two pairs in the men’s tournament, namely Yannick Salvetti/Jean-Baptiste Daguerre and Maxime Thiercy/Romain Di Giantommaso.
France just finished second with both their men’s and women’s teams in the Continental Cup tournament held in Montpellier this past weekend. Adelin and Longuet played there with different partners but they will join forces again – they performed as a team last season as well – for the European Games. As for Yannick Salvetti and Jean-Baptiste Daguerre, after performing well in Montpellier where they recorded a victory over reigning European champions Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo of Italy, they will be aiming high, going for a second accolade after winning bronze at the 2013 Mediterranean Games in Mersin, Turkey. As for Thiercy and Di Giantommaso (pictured), the bronze medallists from last year’s U21 World Championship in Larnaca, Cyprus, will be making their senior debut. “We really feel honoured to be able to participate in the European Games. This is our first senior event and we will take on it as seriously as we do with any other competition,” Thiercy says. “We are going to get some valuable experience and even though Rio comes a little too early for us, this will be our first step on the way to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”
As Laurent Tillie will be at the helm of the team participating in this year’s FIVB Volleyball World League, the 14 ‘Bleus’ competing in Baku will be placed under the guidance of Marc Francastel. “Everything got started with the list of players retained by Laurent for the World League,” he said, “which includes most of those who finished in fourth place at last year’s World Championship in Poland. However, Laurent wanted to see and test some more players with the national team, since he is about to create an extended group and willing to create some more competition within the team. The European Games are therefore a good opportunity for these players to take on international matches according to a format which follows the one set up for the Olympics and knowing that our ultimate goal is to make it to Rio 2016 and to perform well there, also young players have to get accustomed with this culture and situations. The team for Baku also includes players who have taken up on their responsibilities throughout the club season which has just come to an end.”
The 14 players called up for the European Games are:
Setters: Toafa Takaniko (Arago de SETE), Raphaël Corre (NICE VB)
Middle Blockers: Quentin Jouffroy (ASUL LYON), Nicolas Gardien (TOURS VB), Jonas Aguenier (AS CANNES), Philippe Tuitoga (Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB), Jhon Wendt (NARBONNE Volley)
Opposite: Faipule Kolokilagi (CHAUMONT VB 52)
Outside Spikers: Baptiste Geiler (VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN/GER), Guillaume Quesque (JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel/POL), Trévor Clevenot, Thibault Rossard (Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB)
Liberos: Steve Peironet (BEAUVAIS Oise), Nicolas Rossard (Arago de SETE)
As for Beach Volleyball, Laura Longuet/Mélinda Adelin compose the duo for the women’s competition whilst France will be represented by two pairs in the men’s tournament, namely Yannick Salvetti/Jean-Baptiste Daguerre and Maxime Thiercy/Romain Di Giantommaso.
France just finished second with both their men’s and women’s teams in the Continental Cup tournament held in Montpellier this past weekend. Adelin and Longuet played there with different partners but they will join forces again – they performed as a team last season as well – for the European Games. As for Yannick Salvetti and Jean-Baptiste Daguerre, after performing well in Montpellier where they recorded a victory over reigning European champions Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo of Italy, they will be aiming high, going for a second accolade after winning bronze at the 2013 Mediterranean Games in Mersin, Turkey. As for Thiercy and Di Giantommaso (pictured), the bronze medallists from last year’s U21 World Championship in Larnaca, Cyprus, will be making their senior debut. “We really feel honoured to be able to participate in the European Games. This is our first senior event and we will take on it as seriously as we do with any other competition,” Thiercy says. “We are going to get some valuable experience and even though Rio comes a little too early for us, this will be our first step on the way to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”