Tainara highlights SESC Flamengo’s additions for 2025-2026

Sixth-placed in the 2024-2025 edition of the Brazilian Women’s Superliga, SESC RJ Flamengo, the winningest team in the country with 12 national titles, announced five signings this week as part of their revamp for the upcoming club season.

Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Tainara Santos is the biggest name added by the club, which also acquired a pair of setters and two international players in the transfer market.

Tainara, 25, returns to the Superliga after spending the last club season in China, with Shanghai Bright Ubest. A 2022-2023 Superliga champion with Praia Clube, she also played for Osasco and Barueri in the country.

Flamengo made a pair of signings for the setter position, adding 30-year-old Giovana Gasparini, who returns to the club after spending the last three seasons with Osasco, where she won the Superliga a month ago, and 25-year-old Vivian Lima, one of the revelations of the last edition of the tournament playing for Maringá.

The Brazilian club also looked into the international market to strengthen its squad and did so with the additions of 29-year-old American outside Simone Lee-Wank, who spent the last two seasons in Italy, and 19-year-old Serbian middle blocker Maša Kirov, who is part of her country’s national team in the Volleyball Nations League 2025 and comes from France.

The new signings will give Flamengo a new look in the upcoming season, forming the core of the team alongside outside hitters Helena Wenk and Karina Souza, middle blocker Lorena Viezel and libero Laís Vasques. The Rio de Janeiro side saw Canadian setter Brie O’Reilly, veteran outside hitter and team captain Michelle Pavão and opposite Edinara Brancher walk in the offseason.

“We lost important players, but made some really interesting signings,” head coach Bernardo ‘Bernardinho’ Rezende reflected. “Giovana is an experienced setter, whom we knew very well and who wanted to return. Vivian is tall and young, and we believe they will work very well together. Lee is a powerful hitter with solid international experience who showed her desire to be here. Kirov has tremendous potential, and we will wait for her after the U21 World Championship. Tainara has long been a target for us, and we’re very happy that we were finally able to bring her. She’s a terrific scorer, but can also play other roles for us, such as helping in serve-receive.”

Still without the players who are currently representing their national teams and Bernardinho, who’s coaching Brazil’s men’s national team in the VNL 2025, Flamengo has already started working in Rio de Janeiro.

“The goal now is to work with the players who already showed up and focus on their individual development,” Bernardinho added. “Everyone is excited. Lee will arrive before Kirov, who will play multiple tournaments with Serbia, which we think is going to be great for her. Step by step, we’ll put the roster together.”

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