Led by Lucas, they defeated Campinas in the gold medal match
Published 09:25, 04 May 2025
Captain Wallace de Souza lifts the Superliga trophy (Photo: CBV)
Reigning world champions Sada Cruzeiro further solidified their status as the winningest team in Brazilian men’s volleyball history by winning the country’s Superliga for a record ninth-time on Sunday.
The Minas Gerais side started behind, but counted on great production from their bench players to come back and beat Vôlei Renata Campinas 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21) in front of over 10,000 fans at the Ibirapuera Stadium, in São Paulo.
The victory over Campinas made Cruzeiro complete a nearly perfect 2024-2025 season, which saw them win five of the six tournaments they played. Before winning the Superliga, they triumphed at the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, the South American Club Championship, the Brazilian Supercup and the Minas Gerais State Championship – they were fifth in the Brazilian Cup.
Cruzeiro now have an impressive record of nine titles in 18 appearances in the Superliga. They were the champions in 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2024-2025.
Head coach Filipe Ferraz was present in each of the team’s nine victories – he was an outside hitter for them in their first six victories and guided them on the sidelines in their last three. Among the players, star opposite and team captain Wallace de Souza and outside hitter Rodriguinho Leão are the most successful, with seven titles each.
“I thought our first set was way below the level we’ve presented the entire season,” Filipe said. “It happens, of course, but it’s a single-match final and there’s not much time for coaches to think, so I decided to act. I felt we were unbalanced as a team and that we needed more firepower, which (Gabriel) Vaccari and (Welinton) Oppenkoski were both able to bring. We got back to our usual game and secured a huge victory.”
Winning the Superliga for the second time with Cruzeiro, Olympic champion middle blocker Lucas Saatkamp won the tournament for the eighth time in his career. He’s now the second player with the most titles, trailing Cruzeiro’s legendary libero Serginho Nogueira by just one trophy.
Lucas, by the way, had a pivotal role in Cruzeiro’s victory over Campinas on Sunday, leading the team with 14 points (12 kills, one block, one ace) and earning the Superliga MVP award. The Brazilian giants also counted on the depth of their roster to come back and win the match as opposite Welinton Oppenkoski and outside hitter Gabriel Vaccari both came off the bench to replace Olympic champions Wallace and Douglas Souza and delivered 12 points each.
“Since the start of the season, I’ve been highlighting the strength of our squad,” Lucas reacted. “Today, we needed to make changes, and the players who came in were able to fix the problems we were having. Having players who are capable of coming in and delivering in key moments has been a big part of our success.”
Argentinean Olympic medalist and Campinas opposite Bruno Lima topped all scorers on Sunday, with 15 points (13 kills, two blocks). Brazilian national team outside hitter Adriano Xavier tallied 13, with 11 kills, one block, and one ace.
“Making it to the Superliga final is not easy, there are many great teams that can be there,” outside hitter Maurício Borges. “That’s two finals in a row for us, and it shows we’re headed in the right direction. I’m sure we’ll be back in the final very soon and I hope we can win next time.”
The best team in the regular season, Cruzeiro also dominated the Superliga’s Dream Team, having Lucas, Douglas Souza, setter Matheus Brasília and libero Alexandre Elias selected. Campinas’ Adriano and middle blocker Judson Nunes and SESI Bauru’s star opposite Darlan Souza completed the lineup.
