Men's OQT, a preview of noteworthy teams ② France

France (FIVB rank 10th)

Team France is currently on a roll, having won the World League and European Championships last year.
With that momentum, they passed the European qualifiers in first place and it seemed as if they would be the first to secure a ticket to the Olympics, but unfortunately they lost to Russia in the final and advanced to the final qualifiers in second place.

Many of the players on the team have somewhat eccentric personalities, and in France they are affectionately known as "Team Yabou" (which apparently means "They fuck all team" lol).
Although they may look flashy at first glance, the foundation of their strength is their solid defense.
From a solid receiving block, they attack simply with opposite Luzier and wing spiker Ngapet as the center. However, Ngapet is very tricky individually lol.

The team gets along really well and their volleyball is a lot of fun to watch.

Projected starting lineup

Featured Players

#6 Benjamin Toniutti

Born October 30, 1989 (26 years old)
Height: 183cm
Highest point: 320cm
Position: Setter
Club: Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle (Poland)

At 183cm tall, he is as tall as a Japanese player, but he is also France's playmaker and is now widely regarded as the world's number one setter.
He has excellent situational judgment, and is particularly adept at using quick attacks and pipes from the center.
Of course, the quality of the toss is also high, and it is soft and fluffy so that attackers can hit it easily.
Although he is small in stature, he attacks aggressively with his jump serve.
He is a setter who Japanese people should definitely emulate.

#7 Kevan Tiri (Kevin Tillie)

Born November 2, 1990 (25 years old)
Height: 200cm
Highest point: 345cm
Position: Wing spiker
Club: Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle (Poland)

The player I'm supporting on the French side is not World League MVP Ngaphet, nor European Championship MVP Rouzier, but third-choice player Tille.
He is the second son of Laurent Tilley, the French national coach. (He is one of three brothers, the eldest and third sons are basketball players.)
To be honest, he is inferior to Ngaphet on the opposite corner, both offensively and defensively.
However, he makes very few mistakes and seems to contribute a lot in situations that do not directly affect the score.
Also, although he doesn't have that many hits, he is able to score points at key moments.

Yaboo! Yaboo! Yaboo!!

Photo: FIVB