Vôlei Renata Campinas took advantage of the absence of recently-crowned world champions Sada Cruzeiro in the Brazilian Men’s Superliga to move to the top of the standings on Tuesday, during the 11th leg of the regular season.
Campinas collected two points with a major five-set road win over defending champions SESI Bauru to get to 28 (nine wins, two losses), one more than Sada Cruzeiro. The reigning world champions have, however, two games in hand and could return to first place as early as Thursday, when they face Apan Roll-On on the road.
Select Brazilian Men’s and Women’s Superliga matches are available live for VBTV subscribers located in Brazil.
Campinas needed backup setter Cristiano Torelli to step up in the decisive moments of their 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13) victory over SESI as star setter and team captain Bruno Rezende left the match during the third set with an apparent shoulder injury.
“It was a beautiful victory, with everyone playing a role in it,” Bruno said. “The guys who came off the bench did a great job and even those who didn’t get on the court were very important by providing the team some support. We have a very cohesive roster and that made a difference again. Regarding my shoulder, I believe it was a muscle injury. It doesn’t seem that serious, but I couldn’t lift my arm and wouldn’t be able to play like this. I’ll make some tests tomorrow and hopefully, it’s nothing major.”
