Fans already know the names of the two teams who will be promoted to Brazil’s Superliga A competition next season: Curitiba and Londrina. Both teams stormed through their competition in Superliga B and met at the final of the tournament, with Curitiba coming out victorious after a 3-2 war that took almost three hours.
This was Curitiba’s second attempt at promotion, after having lost their chances last year by losing to José Roberto Guimarães Hinode/Barueri. As for Londrina, although it swept Curitiba 3-0 in pool play, it wasn’t able to repeat its performance when it mattered most, and lost their chance at the title. It’s worth noticing that the team had a perfect record up to the finals, before it parted ways with experienced coach Rogério Portela, who set up the team’s roster with his players that were laid off alongside him when Rio do Sul folded from Superliga A only days prior to its start.
Curitiba’s captain, Valeskinha, is a familiar fan to international volleyball fans, as she won an Olympic gold medal with Brazil at the 2008 Olympic Games. She is also a 9 time Superliga champion. Here is her reaction after winning the title (Globo.com):
“I think it’s great that I’ve done a lot of things in volleyball. After having retired for a while, I was able to come back, play at a high level, help the team win the Superliga B title, and a promotion to the top division. I take pride in being a part of this project and to be a champion once again. Last year we were second. Now comes the title and the promotion. I’m not going to stop yet, I still enjoy playing. I know I can handle two more years. Then I will go from playing, to cheering on the stands. I intend to stay in Curitiba, let’s see if they want me to stay too.”
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