For the first time in the history of the men’s and women’s volleyball Superleagues, the two titles of the season will be played simultaneously by teams from Minas Gerais. This Friday (22), at 9 pm (Brasilia time), Dentil Praia Clube and Minas Tênis Clube will play the first game of the women’s final at the Nilson Nelson gym, in Brasília. Minas is also present in the men’s decision, against Sada Cruzeiro, which starts this Saturday (23), at 21:30, at the Divino Braga gym, in Betim (MG).
? PHYSICAL: CHECK! ✅
? First workout of the day successfully finished! ? The preparation of Itambé/Minas continues at full steam in the federal capital.
? Photo: Disclosure / Minas Tênis Clube#VaiMinas #ItambéMinas #Blue Wall pic.twitter.com/W5ImzCY8v2
— Minas Tênis Clube (from ?) (@MinasTenisClube) April 21, 2022
The finals will be played in the best of three games. Whoever wins two takes the cup. The second match of the women’s decision is scheduled for Friday (29), at 21h. If necessary, the third duel will be on Tuesday of the other week (3), at 21:30. All matches will be in Brasilia. Among men, the second meeting between Minas and Cruzeiro will be next Sunday (1) and the third, if necessary, will be seven days later, both at 10 am, at locations to be defined.
It is only the fourth time in history that the two finals will be played by clubs from the same state. On previous occasions (the last one in 1997), decisions brought together teams from São Paulo.
The 100% Minas final is nothing new for the women, as Minas (which, among women, acts as Itambé Minas) and Praia reach the decision for the third consecutive time (minastenistas won the best in previous editions: 2019 and 2021). Despite this, the team from Uberlândia (MG) dominates the confrontation in the season, winning the titles of the Mineiro and South American Championships and the Supercup over rivals, and winning the two games of the first phase of the Superliga, both in the tie-break. (fifth set).
The duel pits the teams with the best campaign in the competition. In search of the second Superliga title (the first was in 2018), Praia added 58 points in the first phase, three more than Minas, which can reach the fifth national cup, equaling Osasco as the second biggest champion ( Rio de Janeiro, who currently plays as Sesc-RJ Flamengo), leads the statistic, with 12 victories.
The first training session for the finals of #SuperligaFemale at the BRB Brasilia Arena! ?
The lifter Lyara, the central Carol and the pointer Kasiely won the first headline in Brasília! ??
Any happy and confident beach fans out there? ? pic.twitter.com/6t24gjQs2t
— Women’s Superliga (@superliga_fem) April 20, 2022
In the knockout stage, the Triângulo Mineiro team beat Pinheiros in the quarterfinals with two wins, both by three sets to zero, but suffered to eliminate Flamengo, losing the first leg of the semifinal by three to zero and looking for a comeback. in the next two games. The Minastenistas settled the clashes against Fluminense (quarters) and Sesi Bauru (semifinals) undefeated, triumphing in the first two duels.
“This year we made the final of all the competitions we participated in. Even though we didn’t win a title, it was important to be at the top. The rivalry between Minas and Praia has been going on for some years. The story we’re building is really cool. We have made the finals of the last championships and that is very cool. It will be a very difficult game. The two teams arrive for the decision at a good moment after playing hard semifinals”, highlighted the central Carol Gattaz, captain of the Minastenista team, to the website of the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV).
The Superliga finals will mark the farewell to Walewska’s courts. The 42-year-old center, Olympic champion at the Beijing Games (China) in 2008, is Praia’s captain and wants to end her career with her third title in the competition. In addition to leading the Uberlândia team in the 2018 conquest, she also won the 2000 edition, for Rexona, when the team was based in Curitiba.
“I have been living a whirlwind of emotions, reliving my entire history and focused so that, in the Superliga, it ends with the conquest of another title. I am aware that I dedicated myself every day and that it was all worth it. I was blessed to have met people who will remain in my heart forever”, said Walewska, also to the CBV website.
In men’s, the Minas Gerais final is unprecedented, despite the confrontation bringing together the two greatest champions of national volleyball among men. Minas, which has not lifted the cup since 2007, is looking for its tenth Brazilian title, being the fifth in the Superliga, which started in 1994. Cruzeiro, with six trophies, last won it in 2018, when it scored a sequence of five consecutive conquests.
? FIAT/GERDAU/MINAS IS IN THE FINAL OF THE MEN’S SUPERLEAGUE 1XBET 2021/22! ?
Paredão Azul beat Vedacit Guarulhos, by 3 sets to 1, and stamped a spot in the final of the competition.
? Duda Bairros/Guarulhos#FiatGerdauMinas #VaiMinas #DiaDeParedão pic.twitter.com/MDo6my9DXi
— Minas Tênis Clube (from ?) (@MinasTenisClube) April 17, 2022
It is also the first time that the men’s decision brings together clubs from the same state other than São Paulo. On nine occasions, the men’s final was 100% São Paulo, the last of which was in 2019, when EMS Taubaté Funvic (which is currently in Natal) got the better of Sesi São Paulo.
As in the women’s, the men’s decision involves the two clubs that scored the most in the initial phase of the competition. Minas (who plays as Fiat Gerdau Minas among the men) scored 61 points, against 59 for Cruzeiro. In the knockout stage, both needed only the first two duels of the clashes to qualify for the final. The minastenistas passed through Funvic Natal and Guarulhos, while the Cruzeirenses dispatched Farma Conde São José and Sesi São Paulo.
Sada Cruzeiro beats Sesi-SP 3-0 and guarantees a spot in the Superliga final
Know more: https://t.co/2yBuKAAqgJ pic.twitter.com/eZXBzlCoZh
— Sada Cruzeiro (@sadacruzeiro) April 16, 2022
Eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last edition, Sada Cruzeiro reformed itself to regain the position of best team in the country. Celebrity coach for 12 seasons, Argentine Marcelo Mendez gave way to the recently retired Filipe Ferraz. Managed by the ex-pointer, Raposa won the titles of Mineiro (on top of Minas) and the Supercup, in addition to the fourth world championship. Minas, in turn, lifted a trophy again in February, after a 15-year hiatus, by winning the Copa Brasil, in Blumenau (SC). The Minastenistas are the current national runners-up, surpassed by Taubaté in the 2021 final.
