Cruzeiro were able to celebrate a 15th Brazilian championship after beating SESI-SP
Belo Horizonte, Brazil, April 12, 2015 – Sada Cruzeiro won the Brazil Superliga champions for the third consecutive time and 15th in total following a 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-19) win over SESI-SP in front of 14,036 fans in the Adriano Arena.
Wing-spiker Yoandy Leal was named man of the match after he led the scoring with 21 points and he will now spearhead Sada Cruzeiro’s efforts when they host the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, from October 27-November 1.
“It was a great game,” he said. “Sesi-SP has great players and we had to work hard to recover from losing the first set. It is great to say that I am champion. I was very happy to be voted the best of the match, but the best thing was we won the title.
Centre Eder added, “Six titles in seven finals is a considerable achievement. Our team has always tried to stand out for its collective efforts, not individuals and today we all helped in some way.”
Sada Cruzeiro opened the scoring, but as the set wore on SESI-SP began to take control and won with a four-point cushion.
Marcelo Mendez’s team responded in fine style in the second set and drew level thanks to six points from Leal. They maintained their momentum in the third set, but SESI-SP turned the tables midway through and held three set points before Cruzeiro fought back once again.
The fourth set swung back and forth in the same way as the previous three, but again Mendez’s charges took control when it mattered and won the set, the match and the championship with six points to spare.