Faure powers France to 3-0 win over Slovenia

“It’s a perfect day!” says birthday boy Clevenot

France, led by opposite hitter Theo Faure, defeated Slovenia in straight sets during Saturday`s men`s Volleyball Nations League match in Burgas. Despite the 3-0 scoreline, each set was closely contested, decided by minimal margins. This victory earned the defending champions three points, lifting them into the Finals qualification zone, now sitting fifth with a 4-3 win-loss record and 12 points. Slovenia is currently ninth in the VNL standings with the same 4-3 record but 11 points.

France largely maintained control of the score throughout the three sets. However, Slovenia remained competitive, occasionally taking the lead and even having set point opportunities, particularly in the extended second set. Nevertheless, France ultimately secured a clean sweep, winning 3-0 with set scores of 25-23, 29-27, and 25-23.

The statistics show France had the edge over Slovenia in most scoring elements, with the exception of unforced errors. Theo Faure was the key player, delivering three aces and accumulating a match-high 16 points. Middle blocker Francois Huetz contributed significantly at the net, executing four of the team’s 10 kill blocks to finish with 10 points. Outside hitter Trevor Clevenot celebrated his 31st birthday by adding nine points, including one ace and two kill blocks.

“It’s a good day for me. We put up a good fight against Slovenia today. It was not easy at all, but it was a good win for us. And it’s also my birthday, so it’s a perfect day. And now we’ll take one beer for this,” Clevenot commented after the match. “It’s small details that made the difference. High-level volleyball is like this, so we are just happy about this win.”

For the Slovenian side, outside hitter Rok Mozic was their top scorer with 14 points, followed by opposite Toncek Stern who added 13 points.

“We had some really good opportunities, but at the ends of the sets we just made a little too many mistakes. Maybe it was a bit of a bad luck, but they won 3-0. Congrats to them!” said 22-year-old Slovenian middle blocker Janz Janez Krzic.

In other VNL action, the match between Germany and Iran in Belgrade was already underway. The next game in Burgas is scheduled between hosts Bulgaria and neighboring Turkiye.