Setter William Arjona in action as Sada Cruzeiro Contagem score yet another win over Minas Tenis Clube of Belo Horizonte in the Brazilian Superleague.
Lausanne, Switzerland, November 27, 2016 - Reigning FIVB men's world champions Sada Cruzeiro of Contagem continued their absolute domination in the Brazilian Superleague this week after adding two more victories that keep them firmly at the top of the standings.
Filippe Ferraz and Cuban-born Yoandy Leal split the MVP awards for the two games as they led Sada Cruzeiro to convincing back-to-back wins midweek over Lebes Gedore Canoas 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-21) and on the weekend over Minas Tenis Clube of Belo Horizonte 3-1 (25-19, 25-14, 19-25, 25-23).
Ferraz and Leal were joint top scorers against Canoas with 8 point each, with the latter taking the initiative against Minas with 25 points.
"You can not always win in straight sets," said Leal after the game against Minas. "The important thing is to take the three points and to be at the top of the table."
Both Sada Cruzeiro and Minas had represented Brazil in the 2016 FIVB Club World Championship last month in Betim, but were in different pools and didn't get to meet.
Hot in pursuit of Sada Cruzeiro are Volei Brazil Kirin of Campinas, who also beat Minas 3-1 (28-26, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21) midweek, before shutting out Bento Volei Isabela 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23) on Saturday.
Libero Tiago Brendle was MVP, Diogo Silva top scorer with 16 points against Minas; captain Rodrigo Pinto picked up the MVP award and Bruno Araujo top scored with 15 points against Bento.
Sada Cruzeiro and Brasil Kirin are the only two undefeated teams in the Superleague after 6 rounds, though the defending champions are the only ones on full points. The two clubs are set to clash on December 21, right before the Christmas break.
Zenit win match, lose LeonIn Russia, defending champions and 2016 FIVB Club World Championship runners-up Zenit Kazan swept Dinamo of Leningrad Oblast 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19) in Saint Petersbourg and remained undefeated at the top of the Superleague table after 10 matches - but lost Wilfredo Leon, who was injured in the third set and had to be carried off.
With 11 points Leon was still second only to teammate Maxim Mikhailov (15) in the scorers table of the match. He was substituted by USA's Matt Anderson (who had sat out the first two sets) after the injury, when he landed badly following an attack that made the score 15-9. Still, Zenit remain optimistic about his recovery, according to their social media.
In Italy, meanwhile, Cucine Lube Civitanova remained at the top of the standings after a 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-20, 25-17) win over Exprivia Molfetta, led by the game's MVP Tsvetan Sokolov.
Trentino drop back in ItalyDiatec Trentino, the bronze medallists in Betim last month, dropped further back in their chase of the leaders, after giving away a point in their 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 16-25, 15-11) win at home over Gi Group Monza.
Lube lead the UnipolSai Superleague standings on 31 points from 13 matches, with Trentino now two points behind. Azimut Modena, led by top scorer on 25 points and MVP of the game Luca Vettori have now closed in to within a point of Trentino, after their thrilling 3-1 (25-19, 27-29, 33-31, 25-22) away win over LPR Piacenza.
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