Betim, Brazil, October 22, 2016 - After a first set completely uphill, defending champions Sada Cruzeiro recovered their best shape and overcame a resilient Bolívar team 3-1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-19) to gain access to the most important match of the competition in Betim.
Robertlandy Simón finished as the leader of a well-distributed scoring front of Cruzeiro with 16 tallies, followed by an identical 12-point game of Yoandy Leal and Evandro Guerra. Isac Santos also reached double digits with 10 points. On Bolívar, Australian opposite Thomas Edgar gave 13 shots to his team.
Bolívar played at a champion level at the first set, with Edgar impossible to handle for Cruzeiro on serving and spiking. Maximiliano Gauna also helped from the service line and the Argentinean side also pulled out many digs, to step ahead and stun the fans at Ginásio Divino Braga.
That was the wakeup call for Cruzeiro, as they darted out to quick advantages on the three following chapters and enhanced them with powerful serves. Leal, Simón and Evandro took turns to damage Bolívar’s defenders and carved the way to their fourth win in the competition.
FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship Betim 2016 - Teams