Two Brazilian teams will represent South America at the women's Club World Champs 2022 set to take place in Antalya next month, from December 14 through 18. Gerdau Minas and Dentil Praia Clube will take to the court in the Turkish resort city in an attempt to break Europe’s nine-year-long domination and bring the trophy home to Brazil for the first times since 2012, when Sollys Nestle Osasco earned the country’s third title in the history of the competition.
Women's Club World Championship 2022
Brazilian Club World Championship participants clash in Superliga
Dentil Praia defeat Gerdau Minas in five-setter
Published 08:35, 21 Nov 2022
Caroline Gattaz and Yonkaira Pena ready to block as Claudia Bueno sets the ball (Photo: minastenisclube.com.br)
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NO TIE-BREAK! 🏐 Em um confronto equilibrado, o Gerdau Minas foi superado pelo Dentil Praia Clube, por 3 sets a 2, em...
Posted by Minas Tênis Clube - Vôlei on Saturday, November 19, 2022
Minas are no newbie to the Club World Championships. It will be the fourth consecutive time, and fifth overall, they participate in the tournament. Twice they have reached the final, adding the silver medals in 1992 and 2018 to their showcase. Last year, Minas progressed to the semifinals in Ankara to finish fourth. They qualified for this year’s edition as the 2022 CSV South American Club Championship winners.
Minas have retained a number of players from their roster last season, most notably Brazilian international stars like opposite Kisy Nascimento, outside hitter Priscila Daroit and middle blockers Caroline Gattaz and Julia Kudiess, all of whom represented the country at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship this fall.
Setter Priscila Heldes, outsides Luiza Vicente and Priscila Souza Ramos, and middles Thaisa Daher and Rebeca Camille also returned to compete for the club from Belo Horizonte this season.
Another national team player, libero Nyeme Nunes joined the team after transferring from Sesi Volei Bauru. The Dominican Republic’s outside hitter Yonkaira Pena, who moved to Minas from Sesc RJ Flamengo Rio de Janeiro, is the only foreigner in Italian coach Nicola Negro’s line-up.
Playmaker Jackeline Figueredo Pina from Barueri, opposite Larissa Brandao Mendes and libero Larissa Ferreira, both from Minas Nautico, are the other newcomers to Gerdau Minas.
For Dentil Praia Clube meanwhile, it will also be the fourth consecutive appearance at the Club World Championships. The fourth place they took in 2018 was their best result from the previous three participations. This year the team from Uberlandia will represent their continent as South American Club Championship runners-up, after losing May’s final to Minas in five sets.
Dentil Praia are competing with pretty much the same roster as last season. Middle blocker Leticia Hage is the only new addition. She returned to the club after playing for other teams in the past seven seasons, most recently for Poland’s Polskie Przetwory Palac Bydgoszcz.
Outside hitters Anne Buijs of the Netherlands and Brayelin Martinez of the Dominican Republic, as well as Brayelin’s sister, middle blocker Jineiry Martínez, are the foreign athletes on coach Paulo Barros’s roster, which also includes international players from the Brazilian national team that earned World Championship silver just weeks ago, including phenomenal middle Ana Carolina Da Silva and universal striker Tainara Santos.
The list of current or former Brazilian internationals on Dentil Praia’s line-up continues: setter Claudia Bueno, outside Kasiely Clemente, middle Angelica Malinverno and libero Suelen Pinto.
Experienced players like playmakers Jordane Tolentino and Lyara Batista, opposite Ariane Pinto, outside Vanessa Janke and libero Juliana Perdigao complete Dentil Praia’s roster.
Gerdau Minas and Dentil Praia came face to face on Saturday in a Brazilian Superliga encounter and engaged in a hard-fought five-set battle. The visitors from Uberlandia gained a 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9) victory to get back at their opponents for the four-set defeat in the deciding match for the Minas Gerais state championship title in late October.
Tainara contributed the match high of 22 points, including two aces and a block. Brayelin Martinez chipped in another 19, while Carol impressed with five kill blocks towards a match tally of 10 points for the winners. Also with five stuffs to her name, Kisy was the home team’s best scorer on a total of 15 points. Thaisa Daher and Yonkaira Pena added 13 apiece for Minas.
Unbeaten in six matches since the start of the Superliga season, Dentil Praia lead the current standings on a total of 16 points, while Gerdau Minas are in third place on a 3-2 win-loss record and 10 points.
In Antalya, Dentil Praia will share Pool A with last year’s silver medallists Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano of Italy and tournament hosts Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul of Türkiye, while Gerdau Minas will compete with Asian club champions Kuanysh Club of Kazakhstan and defending club world champions VakifBank Spor Kulubu of Türkiye in Pool B.
