Wallace carries world champions Sada to road victory

Sada Cruzeiro started the second half of the Brazilian Men’s Superliga on the right foot. The winners of last month’s 2021 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship dominated Volei Renata on the road to emerge victorious in straight sets (25-23, 25-16, 28-26) on Sunday at the Taquaral Stadium in their first match in 2022.

The Betim-based club entered the match without some important players, most notably the Most Valuable Player of the Men’s Club World Championship, Cuban outside hitter Miguel Angel Lopez. However, a stellar performance by Olympic champion and star opposite Wallace de Souza gave Sada the edge.

The veteran 34-year-old opposite, who was the MVP of last year’s FIVB Volleyball Nations League, was unstoppable in offence and produced a match-high 19 points (all in kills) to lead Sada’s efforts and receive the Player of the Match award.

“We were missing some key players tonight but we did a great job in adjusting and finding a way to play an excellent match,” Wallace said. “We have an experienced roster, where everyone knows their roles and responsibilities and that’s one of our main strengths. Volei Renata are a solid team, who are very difficult to beat at home, and we should be proud of coming here and getting all three points. The second half of the regular season is just starting, we have the goal of finishing at the top and we’ll fight for it.”

Sada, who have won the Superliga as many as six times, are currently second in the standings with 29 points (ten wins, two losses). The leaders are the undefeated Fiat Gerdau Minas, who have won all their 11 matches played to amass 33 points.

The team coached by former player Filipe Ferraz had three other players scoring in double digits in outside hitter Rodriguinho Leao with 12 points (11 kills, one block), middle blocker Isac Santos with 11 (seven kills, three blocks, one ace), and outside hitter Matias Provensi with ten (eight kills, one block, one ace).

One of the new faces on the Brazilian national team, 19-year-old outside hitter Adriano Xavier was Volei Renata’s top scorer with 13 points, all in kills. Rio 2016 Olympic champions Evandro Guerra and Lucas Saatkamp added seven (six kills, one block) and six (four kills, one ace, one block), respectively.

Both teams will take a break in the Superliga to compete in the Brazilian Cup over the next week. Volei Renata’s quarterfinal matchup with Apan Eleva Blumenau will take place on Wednesday, one day before Sada meet Farma Conde Sao Jose.